Police in Dowa have arrested a nurse at Dowa District Hospital for allegedly defrauding job seekers of more than K10 million by promising to secure them positions as Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs).
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Chipiliro Suwali, allegedly collected money from prospective job seekers in six districts over the past two weeks.
Dowa Police Station Public Relations Officer, Sub-Inspector Alice Sitima, said the affected people are from Balaka, Mangochi, Ntchisi, Salima, Blantyre and Dowa.
According to Sitima, investigations have established that Suwali allegedly convinced the victims to pay money by claiming to have connections with Human Resource Management officers at the Ministry of Health who could facilitate their recruitment.
Police have since seized the suspect’s mobile phone to assist with further investigations.
Sitima further disclosed that Suwali is also answering a theft charge and is currently on court bail. He is expected to appear before court soon to answer the latest fraud charge.
Dowa Police have since warned the public against paying money to individuals claiming they can secure government jobs, urging anyone who encounters suspected recruitment scams to report the matter to police.
Suwali hails from Nkhonya Village, Traditional Authority Chikumbu, in Mulanje District.
