A 26-year-old man who dressed himself in what he must have believed was a full Zambia Army combat, has been arrested after attempting to recruit people into an army that only existed in his imagination using his Techno phone.
The man, identified as Ephraim Banda of Lusaka’s Chelstone, is accused of impersonating both a soldier and a police officer, all while running a scam that milked money from desperate job seekers hoping to join the real Zambia Army.
Banda’s cash cow came to a grinding halt on Thursday afternoon when he was smoked out at Obama Plaza by Kamanga police officers who pounced on him while still wearing his ‘Kamwala’ counterfeit commando uniform.
The long arm of the law caught up with Banda after Bernard Hatembo of PHI area reported him to Chelstone Police.
Hatembo sent K600 to Banda via Airtel Money after being convinced he was securing a slot in the Zambia Army.
As if that was not painful enough, Banda demanded an extra K500 for processing.
After sniffing out the scam, police moved swiftly to stop what was beginning to look like Zambia’s first recruitment by remote operation.
Inside Banda’s phone, the device now being held as evidence, officers found enough fake army messages to start a WhatsApp battalion.
Authorities say the fraudster had been going around pretending to be an officer from Old Chelstone Police Post, possibly even saluting himself in the mirror every morning before heading out to hunt victims.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, clearly unimpressed by Banda’s dress-up games, gave a stern warning to the public not to fall for social media tricksters wearing army colours from Kamwala.
“We wish to advise the public to avoid dealing with unverified individuals or clicking on suspicious recruitment links. Official announcements for such opportunities are only made through legitimate government platforms,” Hamoonga stated.
Banda, who is cooling off in a cell, will soon appear in court where he may finally get to wear a real orange uniform, just not the one he hoped.
By George Musonda
Picture for illustration
Kalemba May 17, 2025
