A man posing as a policeman was on Tuesday arrested and is facing impersonation charges.The ‘policeman’ a resident of Remera, Kigali City, is alleged to have posed as an officer working with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and fleeced over Rwf397, 000 from a resident identified as Meddy Kitanywa.Police say Kitanywa reported the suspect to police.Kitanywa said the suspect on March 15, presented himself as a police officer who would handle his case against one Rwankuba, who threatened to assault him.He reported that he was connected to the fake policeman by one Lucien Mutabazi.According to Kitanywa, the fake policeman ordered him to make a down payment of Rwf120, 000 to handle his file. He duly paid.Police, however, apprehended the suspect while receiving the last instalment of Rwf397, 000 from the victim who had contacted police prior to arranging for a meeting to make the payment. The suspect had last year committed a similar crime, police said.He, however, denied the latest allegations, claiming the victim owed him money and this is what he was paying.Police Spokesperson, Superintendent Theos Badege told The New Times that impersonation and swindling are both criminal acts that are punishable by the law. Police recorded 342 cases of swindling last year and about 105 have been recorded in the last three months this year. Impersonation attracts five years upon conviction, according to article 428 of the penal code.
