Teenage Scammer Arrested For Raping Female Job Seekers
Kampala Metropolitan Territorial Police has arrested a teenager accused of using a social media platform, Facebook to lure female job seekers.
The suspect identified as Lubega Ashraf, a resident of Katosi Village, Kisoga Sub County, Mukono District is accused of using a fake identity on Facebook to rape women after promising them jobs that do not exist.
According to police reports, Lubega disguises himself as Dr. Ronnie and operates an online medical job page called Medical Scrub Uganda where he posts fake jobs to attract the attention of job seeking women. He mainly operated in areas of Mukono and kayunga Districts where he preyed on women.
It is said that after contacting him through his page, Lubega carries out online brief interviews and then schedules a meeting where he discusses terms and conditions.
His arrest came after the Crime Intelligence and Flying Squad teams tracked him down for raping a 24-year-old midwife whose identity has been withheld. She reportedly applied for a job and was invited to Ntunda, Mukono for the supposed interview. This was where she was sexually violated.
During the interrogation, Lubega admitted to the crimes of luring, robbing and raping many women using his Facebook page. The police cybercrime unit at CID headquarters is currently conducting further investigations to establish whether he works for a criminal sexual network.
Uganda Police spokesperson SCP, Enanga Fred warned young girls and females to be extra cautious when transacting business of searching for jobs on digital or social media platforms. He urged them to confirm the identity of the employer through video call or an in-person
“Job seekers are particularly vulnerable to online job scammers who create websites. It is therefore important to research the employer online, before applying for a job, avoid lone meetings with strangers, and never send money to anyone you meet online,” he said.