• By Hilja Shikongo and Renthia Kaimbi 

A web of sophisticated financial scam is allegedly operating from behind the walls of the Rundu police station holding cells. The fraud ring, is described as one of Namibia’s biggest scam syndicates as it reportedly involves police officers and local businesses.

In recent months, several individuals came forth claiming they have lost large sums of money through convincing ‘banking scams’.  In many cases, victims say they received calls from individuals posing as bank officials or agents. 

These individuals persuaded them to share one-time passwords (OTPs) or other sensitive banking information, only to discover their accounts had been wiped clean.  Sources who spoke to Confidente on condition of anonymity, claim that the group works with individuals in local cash loan businesses to obtain PDF files containing personal and banking information of loan applicants. 

This data includes identification document (ID) numbers, bank account details, phone numbers, residential addresses and employment information. Police officers are accused of acting as intermediaries, collecting these documents and handing them over to known scammers in custody.“The whole thing starts with information. Once they get that, they make phone calls pretending to be from the bank and convince people to share their OTPs. Then they clean out the accounts,” said one source.

According to the source, the scammers use a trading app called Trade Direct 365 to conduct their financial activities. The app requires full identification and account information. Several victims reportedly lost their entire salaries, with some individuals having lost amounts ranging between N$3,000 to over N$100,000, in a single day.

Another source added: “They sometimes call banks pretending to be the account holders to raise withdrawal limits. Once that is done, they go in and empty the accounts. No one is spared, they target all banks, but they favour First National Bank (FNB) because it is easier to increase limits.”

ABOVE THE LAW
The trial-awaiting offenders are said to operate without fear of detection from behind the holding cells. Sources say that mobile phones and other electronic devices are used freely inside the cells. Some of the perpetrators are reportedly active on social media, taking photos with visitors and conducting scam operations daily while in custody.

In certain instances, they are escorted to the Rundu clinic under the pretence of medical visits, where they reportedly meet their girlfriends in private before returning to custody, at times with pictures taken in full police presence.

One such photograph surfaced online showing an inmate partially uncuffed, posing with a woman identified as @_itsjustlinda on Instagram. This publication reviewed the account and found it displays a lifestyle of apparent affluence, including luxury travel and international trips.

“It is like they are on holiday. Some officers even eat and smoke drugs with them,” the source added. Police officers reportedly tip-off the offenders before searches are carried out by the special reserve force, allowing scammers to hide phones, documents and drugs in hidden compartments inside the cells.

WORKING NETWORK
Sources have also alleged that illegal firearms are exchanged between inmates and external contacts through a crime network.  The network is led by offenders who maintain connections with other facilities where they send drugs through intermediaries. Sources claim the scammers are mostly between the ages of 20 and 31 and some deliberately commit petty crimes to get back into custody, where they can operate their scams without detection.

“They prefer jail. It is safer for them. They are protected, they are hard to trace and they are making a lot of money,” the source explained.  A number of officers at the Rundu police station have also been named in connection with the scam and are said to smoke drugs with the offenders and facilitates access to phones for a fee. 

The source further said the police officers sometimes take photos of case files, especially those involving money and pass them on to the offenders who then use that information to contact victims under false pretences.

A source said: “This is not just a prison issue. It is a national issue. People are losing their savings, and those responsible are doing it from inside state custody with the help of people paid to protect us.” Efforts to report the scam operation appear to have been ignored. One informant said he reported the matter to a fraud officer named Detective Inspector Kapolo, who was later allegedly arrested for defrauding a victim of N$20,000. 

However, when Confidente contacted Kapolo for comment, he denied the allegations, stating that he has never faced the law for such offences and that he is unaware of any scamming activities within the holding cells. He referred this publication to the Rundu station commander,  Hermine Muranda.

On her part, Muranda declined to comment, saying she could not disclose any sensitive information over the phone and described such discussions as “too risky” for telephonic interviews.

Deputy commissioner of the police’s commercial crime investigations unit, Given Kaura stationed in Windhoek, also denied any knowledge of the syndicate but assured that the matter would be looked into. At the time of publication, no official comment had been received from the Namibian Police Force or the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security.

DEEPLY CONCERNED
FNB expressed concern over the revelations. “We are deeply concerned by these allegation and are taking immediate action in coordination with law enforcement t to identify and stop those responsible,” Kirsty Watermeyer, FNB spokesperson said. “We take these matters extremely seriously and have been working diligently to uncover and close any vulnerabilities that criminals may exploit,” Watermeyer added.

She said that as part of the company’s ongoing commitments to client safety, FNB Namibia continually add layers of security to its “robust and already highly secure digital platforms.”

“We are dedicated to our clients and to maintaining the highest standards of safety,” Watermeyer said.