Crane Financial Services managers disappear with savers’ money

Police in Jinja District are hunting for a group of people said to be managers of Crane Financial Services who allegedly fleeced millions of shillings from unsuspecting victims.
At this particular moment, not even the Police know the whereabouts of the managers running the operation of the Jinja based office.
According to the Jinja District Police Commander, Mr Jamada Wandera, the Jinja based office has been under lock and key for the entire day, causing anxiety among its customers and a section of employees.

Speaking to Daily Monitor, Mr Wandera said: “I tried to reach the managers but their mobile phones were all off. I even tried calling the cashier but all in vain. My interest is to ensure that people who have saved with them get their money back.”
He continued: “We received information earlier in the day through our intelligence about this issue. And when we reached there we found the offices. So what we have done3 is to deploy there and wait for them.”
For the meantime the Police are encouraging those who feel cheated or suspicious of foul play to record a statement with Police who will then pursue the managers at “whatever cost.”
Mr Wandera also appealed to the managers of Crane Financial Service to avail themselves before the matter gets out of hand.
For months the institution has been persuading the locals through local community and FM radio to save with them on the premise that they provide very affordable interest rates.

What the victims say
According to some of the victims, one would pay Shillings 50,000 for registration, 20,000 for a record book and 10 percent of the total amount one is interested in borrowing.
John Kalembe, a pastor in Kamuli district fainted after finding the offices of the scheme under lock and key and yet he was expecting shillings 20 million shillings from them. Kalembe had allegedly borrowed money from another financial institution to pay the firm and offered his land title as collateral security.
Kalembe said that he had become impatient and on Tuesday morning reported to police but as police went to arrest the suspects, he was convinced by the manager, a one Wilson that he would pick the money on Wednesday with an extra of Shillings five million.
"I then told the officers that I had come to an agreement with them so I withdrew the case," Kalembe said.

Aida Namwaya, a resident of Kayunga district said that after hearing several announcements on various local radio stations, she approached the institute and paid Shillings 200,000 as she wanted to borrow 3,000,000 to inject in her businesses.
Ismail Mwodha, a bodaboda cyclist in Jinja district said that he had paid over 700,000 Shillings and had his motorcycle purchase card as collateral for a loan of 3.4 million Shillings.
Simon Muwone, a resident in Jinja town told URN that he had been hired to market the company among traders. He was promised Shillings 50,000 per day and this would be paid at the end of the month. He had so far recruited more than 30 clients.
"I used to incur transport and airtime costs to follow up clients with hope of earning big at the end of the month. I had also quit my job as a shop keeper. I now don't know what to do," he said.

According to Hariet Nabigi, the custodian of Green Summer Building where the conmen rented office space, three men approached her seeking for space for one month which they paid for. She notes that they requested her to use the furniture which had been left in the office located along Clive West Street, by a previous tenant as they organised to buy theirs.
She also said that they never had any form of equipment apart from the note books and reams of paper. She adds that their rent had expired three days ago and they left the key with one of the guards as they shifted to a yet to be known location.
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