CID probes fake gold deals involving Italian national

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) has embarked on investigations to establish how an Italian national, Franco Corona, was duped and robbed of an unspecified amount of money in two fake gold transactions.

Initial reports had indicated that Franco Corona had been kidnapped, prompting a joint operation by the Police Crime Intelligence, counter terrorism and CID. The report was filed by his mother Mereira Corona on Thursday, August 8, saying that her son had been kidnapped and tortured from Ivory castle hotel, Muyenga, on the outskirts of Kampala.

Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga said upon searching Ivory Castle hotel, it was established that Franco Corona first visited Uganda in March and spent his time residing at the same facility. He returned on August 2 but disappeared from the hotel on August 4.

“Our teams started tracing for him and he was found at Grand Imperial Hotel. We established that on August 5, he went to Sheraton Hotel to test four gold pieces which turned out to be fake. He did not have USD 400 that was needed as a fee for testing the supposed gold and he deposited his Passport YB-3010126,” Enanga said.

Enanga added that Franco returned to Sheraton Hotel with USD 400 three days later and repossessed his passport, from where he headed to Entebbe Airport where he was arrested on suspicion of trafficking fake Gold.

Aviation Police-Avipol also tested the alleged gold and established that it was fake. Corona, while with Avipol, communicated to his mother that he had been arrested and tortured. However, Police teams learnt that he was discharged by Avipol unconditionally.

“Upon arrest at the Airport, his gold was tested and found to be fake. However, he was released unconditionally. It is at that time when the mother called IGP claiming the son had been kidnapped. The kidnap was faked. It was not true. After tracing him, he was handed over to CID to help him establish circumstances under which he was duped with fake gold,” Enanga said.

Police said Corona, according to preliminary investigations was duped by fake gold dealers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Police have since established that Corona is also a resident of Hong Kong.

Enanga said fake gold dealers usually target foreigners whom they dupe with a sample of genuine gold. Sometimes, police said, gold prospective buyers are hoodwinked with nuggets, plated metal bars and gold powder.

Enanga said police was working tooth and nail to ensure Corona’s dupers are arrested. This, he said, would also be a basis to understand how much he was conned in the March and August botched gold transactions.

Police have urged local and foreign gold buyers to always liaise with the Ministry of Trade or Police Minerals Unit which have the capacity to prove whether the gold is genuine or fake. Prospective gold buyers have also been implored to stop accepting testing samples but always ensure the whole amount of alleged gold is tested at the same time.

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