Police, MTN probe loss of mobile money cash

Kampala- Police and telecom giant, MTN, are investigating circumstances under which cash on subscribers’ mobile money accounts is disappearing without owners’ involvement.

The affected subscribers, who have so far complained, are seven and they, combined, claim to have lost Shs5.2m on two separate days; March 18 and 21.

Mr Nasir Kirabiriza alleged that he lost Shs2.2m; Mr Maiko Muzenze claims he lost Shs1m; Ms Margaret Lunkuse Shs1.4m; and Mr Bosco Walusimbi Shs97,000.

The other victims are: Ms Rose Asiimwe, who said she lost Shs410,000 and a one Esther on whose account Shs97,000 allegedly disappeared. We were unable to establish the particulars of the seventh claimant.

Location
All are traders at Mengo Kisenyi and Kikuubo in Kampala, according to Mr Kirabiriza, one of the victims.
The aggrieved customers held a meeting with the telecom employees at MTN Towers in Nakasero yesterday in an effort to unravel the mystery.

“They took us to [the] Customer Care Service and recorded our statements on how we lost our money and which day it disappeared on our mobile money accounts and thereafter they took our contacts,” he said, “We don’t know whether we [will be] helped, but their system has shown that our money was taken and the company admits it.”

MTN spokesman Val Okecho in an interview yesterday said: “We are still investigating [the matter] case-by-case since they have different complaints.”

He added that they are working on the inquiry in collaboration with police and hope to establish the exact cause and circumstances under which the subscribers lost their money.

Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed that they had received the traders’ grievances.
The complainants, he noted, recorded statements on the incidents with detectives at Old Kampala Police Station.

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