Samuel Shinedima
THE Namibian police have revealed that they arrested 20 suspects of various nationalities in a high-profile criminal incident reported in the affluent neighbourhoods of Windhoek earlier this week.
These suspects, including 11 Chinese, five Zimbabweans, two Namibians, one Singaporean, and one Cuban national, are all charged with human trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion.
According to Major General Elias Mutota, the deputy inspector-general of the Namibian police, these suspects were found to have enlisted a minimum of 88 Namibian youngsters, primarily students, and provided them with training to generate counterfeit social media profiles to entice potential victims under the pretense of investment, in exchange for a salary of at least N$3,000.00.
The police have also established that these students were trained by the suspected foreign nationals on how to create fake accounts and develop a relationship with the victims, convincing them to invest.
“The suspected foreign nationals equally controlled the electronic wallet. They also provided the students with accommodation, paid them in cash, and transported them to and from the call centre, where they worked exclusively at night from 17:00 PM until the next morning at 6:00 AM. This night operation aimed to convince the USA clients that they were indeed in the USA, given the hours of transactions. The students’ movements were completely controlled, and they were also provided with company cell phones, which were collected when they went off duty, twice a week,” General Mutota said.
It is alleged that the students communicated with their overseas victims via WhatsApp and Telegram platforms that displayed USA numbers. Once a sufficient amount was invested, the communication stopped, and the cryptocurrency was ultimately withdrawn and exchanged for cash, thereby pocketing the client’s investment. The funds were withdrawn from two Bitcoin kiosks in local shopping malls using PayPal.
The authorities have further detailed that at least 163 computers, 350 mobile phones, six motor vehicles, twelve firearms, ammunition, drugs, protected resources, and cash in the amount of N$365,447.00 were found in their possession.
Mutota concluded that it is yet to be established whether the 88 Namibian young people that were trained and used to lure the victims will be charged or be made state witnesses when the matter goes to trial.
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