KAMPALA: Socialite Don Zela, real name Sheila Nandege has been linked to fake dollars that were allegedly stolen from a room she was rent at Speke Apartments on Wampewo Avenue.
Luke Oweyesigyire the Deputy PRO at Kampala Metropolitan Police says a one Jeremy Adome, 36 is being held at Jinja Road Police for allegedly stealing 80,000 USD from the Room 107 at Speke Apartments.
“The money allegedly stolen belonged to one Sheila Nandege, 36, who had booked the apartment for 30 days on the December 5th ,2020,” Oweyesigyire says.
Police says according to CCTV footage recovered from the apartment on December 24th 2020, the suspect, who is the same time a resident in the building, is seen accessing room 107 with another person yet to be arrested.
They are later seen leaving with items. The suspect later fled to his home in Arua.
“The police used all relevant information available and was able to trace him to his home. He was arrested Yesterday,” Oweyesigyire says.
“A sum of $60,000 counterfeit money has been recovered from the suspect and it has since been exhibited. He has, however, insisted that the exhibited money is what he stole from the room. Police are investigating these allegations,” Oweyesigyire says.
“The police are also on the hunt for his accomplice, who was seen in the footage breaking into Room 107 at Speke Apartments.”
Though police didn’t name the “accomplice”, she has been identified as a one Hamida Shania, a sister to Don Zella.
Police has also dispatched a team to Entebbe international airport to find out whether and how Don Zella entered the country with the claimed sum of dollars, something that is prohibited by Financial intelligence Authority (FIA) as a measure against money laundering.
Don Zella had reported the theft, but Police has picked interest in her for having been involved in the scam because of the counterfeit exhibits.