A man identified as Bakary Jarju from Kiang Massembeh appeared before the Brusubi Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, accused of impersonating a police officer and fraudulently obtaining D30,050 from an elderly man, Amadou Baldeh.
According to court proceedings, Jarju allegedly presented himself as a Criminal Investigation Department officer sent by the Inspector General of Police to gain Baldeh’s trust and extract money under various pretenses.
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Prosecutors stated that Jarju posed as a CID officer stationed at Sukuta Nema Police Station and convinced Baldeh that he had been sent by the Inspector General to borrow D6,000, claiming it was for “fish money.”
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The victim, Amadou Baldeh, in his testimony, described how Jarju frequently visited his home, drank tea with him, and gradually gained his confidence. Baldeh, who had not heard from his missing son for a decade, shared that he was trying to sell a piece of land in Banyankang for D450,000. Jarju claimed to have a friend in France interested in buying the land.
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Jarju allegedly showed Baldeh videos of cash, saying his friend had arrived in The Gambia and was ready to make the purchase. However, he later claimed the friend had returned to France without completing the deal. Jarju then told Baldeh that he had reported the matter to the Inspector General, who supposedly arranged for the friend’s arrest and transfer to Morocco, followed by a plan to bring him back to The Gambia.
The accused further claimed that the IGP had received the D450,000 payment from the buyer’s European wife and that Baldeh needed to present a valid ID to collect the money. When Baldeh explained he had no ID, Jarju offered to help expedite the process for D2,600.
Later, Jarju allegedly told Baldeh that the IGP required D6,000 to fund officers sent to retrieve the buyer from Morocco. He also convinced the victim to send D1,400 under the pretense of paying bank charges and claimed the IGP needed another D1,400 for a meeting expense.
In a final request, Jarju allegedly said the IGP wanted another D6,000 for “fish money” for his wife before heading to the provinces. All payments, totaling D30,050, were sent via WAVE to the accused.
Baldeh testified that, after being repeatedly let down, he went directly to police headquarters to report the matter. Officers there helped track Jarju’s phone to Jarra Soma, where he was arrested and transported to Banjul. It was only then that Baldeh discovered Jarju was not a police officer.
Jarju has been charged with impersonating a public officer and obtaining money by false pretense. He denied all allegations and has been remanded in custody pending further hearings. The trial is ongoing.
