Police arrests seven suspects of online financial fraud
GEITA: GEITA Police Force has arrested seven officers from Leo Burnett London (LBL) Advertising Limited on charges of online business fraud.
The Acting Geita Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Adamu Maro, confirmed the arrests over the weekend, saying that the suspects were operating from unregistered offices in Katoro Township.
The arrests followed an ongoing investigation into the company, which was conducted by the police in collaboration with other security agencies since February 18th this year.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Juma Nicolous Lukanula, Stephano Kafulila, Ramadhani Masoud, Alfred Martine, Matiba Beka Mazabari, Elizabeth Zacharia and Athumani Masunga.
ALSO READ: East Africa to tackle online fraud and boost innovation
According to the investigation, the company had been charging citizens entry fees ranging from 50,000/- to 540,000/- and instructing them to watch short videos explaining how they could earn profits.
Police also seized various items used in the fraudulent activities, including one computer, one router, eight smartphones and 21 SIM cards.
According to ACP Maro, a notebook containing customer names and other documents promoting the business was recovered.
ACP Maro further revealed that the investigation confirmed that LBL lacked the necessary documentation to conduct financial transactions or collect money from citizens.
The company also did not have authorisation from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) to operate such a business.
“The arrested individuals remain in custody. In collaboration with other authorities, we are working to complete the investigation so that they can be taken to court as soon as possible,” Commander Maro said.
