Omufere attempts to con sh2.2m
“A con artist almost threw me to jail,” says Fred Ouma.
It was that weekend before the Easter season that he started inundating me with his endless calls, asking to meet and discuss business. My contact number isn’t hard to find – it’s printed all over our branding material. He knew what I was dealing in, so my interest was easily piqued. We agreed to meet on Monday, 3rd April, and so we did, after missing 27 calls of his. My phone is always in silent mode through the night for fear of waking up the baby in the morning. 27 missed calls was strange, indeed, but I gave it no much thought.
For someone being held up since 7am, I thought it polite and courteous to offer my most candid apologies for arriving at 9:30am. Pleased with my obeisance, my dapper guest, a lean figure of lanky stature, greeted me with merriment before discussing business. From his words, I learned he was setting up a store, and desired to purchase twenty 50kg bags of maize flour from a producer like myself. One valued at 130,000 UGX, a figure of 2,600,000 UGX was reached after consulting with his calculator app on his phone. He drew closer, drawing a figure of 2,200,000, and said in Luganda, “if I give you two million two hundred thousand shillings, will you agree that I pay the remaining amount on the very day of delivery?” I replied in the affirmative. He made that statement several times, asking me repeatedly if he can pay the remaining 400,000 UGX on the day I deliver. I was wondering why he hesitated to pay and gave an impression that he would return later in the day and make his first deposit of 2,200,000 UGX that he so tacitly mentioned, calculating on his phone. What I didn’t know, however, was that he had a voice recording device and wanted it to seem like he handed me the money. I will labor to explain but I hope you get it – when you listen to the tape, he says “if I give you this 2,200,000 UGX…”, and it is as though he’s actually giving me money. The reality is, when he says that, he’s pointing to a figure on his calculator app of his phone.
After my guest left, I heard no more from him. The following day, my guest, who had been calling over the weekend without any care for his airtime, started beeping. I didn’t know at the time that he was making it look like he’s calling me and I’m failing to return his calls deliberately, avoiding him. On Wednesday, April 5th, he opens up a case against me, citing he gave me money for some goods to supply, and I’m playing him. He added that he was no longer interested in the goods but in his money only, so I have to make a refund.
When the police was explaining to me on Thursday that I had a case with them, I was eager to meet the man who I was playing. I wouldn’t guess it was my Monday guest. I had seen him on a boda boda on Wednesday, threw my hands in the air to call him, but gestured to me that he would call me. It was that very day he was on his way to the Police Station to report me. He had it all planned out. So, on Thursday, I told the police officers that I will wait upon my accuser. One of them was pacing about waiting for the order to be given by his superiors. Yes, I was supposed to be behind bars as I waited, but since I showed no signs of running, the officers were very kind with me. Besides, my accuser didn’t know my name. The officers had wondered why he gave all that amount to someone he didn’t know by name, and without demanding for a receipt.
My accuser arrived, and, my oh my, it was my Monday guest. “This is the man I gave the money to,” exclaimed he, exasperated. You cannot imagine my shock. The man was so livid, so furious, demanding for my immediate arrest. When he was explained to that more information had to be gathered, this augmented his anger. I asked for proof of payment and he played his audio for us all to listen to. I was heard saying “when you bring the money, we shall process your order”. We didn’t hear my accuser saying “I have given you this amount”. Just the “if I give you…”. We didn’t hear him asking if I confirm it’s 2.2m, I didn’t hear myself thanking for the payment or asking where to deliver. His audio wasn’t very convincing despite his fury and drama, demanding for my incarceration. He said “I want him inside for 48 hours before we go to court”. All that was in Luganda, until I lost it and started speaking English.
When my Luganda started failing me, I asked the colonial dialect to come to my rescue. I sprinkled my argument with business terms. I wanted to show my accuser and the police officers that I couldn’t run afoul of simple rules that govern all businesses, like issuing a receipt after a payment is made by a client. I went ahead to point out other source documents like payment voucher, invoice, debit and credit notes, etc. This I did because I had already gauged my accuser in terms of academics, and I wanted to know how far it would go. My accuser called some bigwigs who later called the OC CID, asking why I wasn’t arrested. He spoke a language only a police officer would understand, also saying I had substantial sureties, and so I deserved police bond. I had called my wife to show up with her national ID and whatnot. The accuser tried to bribe the officers but they still weren’t convinced, so he wasn’t helped.
The following day, I started to make research on this Tom Balikoowa. I learned that he was a trailer driver who stole items from his Indian boss, made the trailer skid off the road and made it all look like he was involved in an accident, hence losing all the items. He built some wealth off the loot, erecting structures in this here village. I later understood why he kept on telling me how he wasn’t as poor as I must have thought, and that come rain come thunder I’d pay all his money plus the time he’s lost. So, when Tom got all that wealth, he failed to maintain and keep it. He lost it mpola mpola, until he sold the bar he built to some wealthy man here in the village. Things went bad for Tom that he stole car tyres before fleeing to Kampala. It is known by people here that Tom has been in jail, and that he once surfaced on Agataliiko Nfuufu for issues to do with theft. I think Kampala later refused, and saw Tom return to the village to start a new life. That is how Tom saw an opportunity and tried his luck with me.
I am still reporting to police as my bond demands. I haven’t seen Tom ever since. The police is now looking for Tom. Tom is nowhere to be found.