Uganda’s latest immigration and cybercrime sweep has exposed what appears to be a tightly run scam operation inside a Kampala apartment complex, with authorities saying they recovered computers and information technology (IT) equipment.
“Upon searching the premises, officers recovered a significant cache of computers and IT equipment used to facilitate illegal gaming, betting, and organized scams,” the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.
Officials said the suspects had no identification documents, including travel passports, raising concerns about possible irregular entry, trafficking, or deliberate concealment.
“The group was found operating illegally, specifically without valid work permits, while engaged in activities,” the statement added.
Those arrested are from South Asia and Africa, reinforcing the sense of a cross-border fraud network and international character of the case.
The operation reportedly involved citizens of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
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The raided apartment complex housed a total of 169 foreign nationals, including 36 women. These group is said to be targeting victims in Asian countries including India, Malaysia and Cambodia.
Traditionally, scam compounds are usually designed to keep workers isolated, monitored, and productive.
Ugandan authorities said the raided complex appeared to be a tightly controlled setup, with occupants operating from a self-contained compound that included its own restaurant and internal facilities to limit movement and keep attention on illicit activities.
Reporting on Southeast Asia’s fraud compounds describes operations in which people are lured with promises of work, then trapped in controlled facilities and forced into online scams under harsh conditions.
Authorities have stated that some individuals have claimed they were trafficked into Uganda with promises of employment.
These arrests may signal a new trend in which cyber scammers may be shifting their operations away from South Asia, long regarded as a hotspot for illegal scams, to East Africa.
