4 “price controllers” apprehended

The suspects were arrested on Friday July 15, 2016 in Nkolfoulou, Soa, in the Mefou and Afamba Division.

Four suspected fake price controllers are presently in detention at the Special Unit for the Control of Services at in the General Delegation of National Security in Yaounde.

The suspects who are yet to be identified were arrested at 2:00 p.m. on Friday July 15, 2016 in Nkolfoulou, Soa, in the Mefou and Afamba Division of the Centre Region. Some of the traders immediately informed the Control Brigade of the Ministry of Trade in the Mefou and Afamba Division who immediately informed the police.

Reports say, the suspected fake price controllers who claimed to be on an official mission of the Ministry of Trade harassed traders in the area and seized some of their goods such as cartons of whisky, wine, and other household goods.

According to the reports, the fake price controllers produced fake documents showing their belonging to an Association for the Protection of the Rights of Consumers. The group is made up of two men, one woman and was accompanied by a police officer who works in the Centre Region.

One of the suspects disappeared into thin air while at the police station. A man hunt was immediately put in place to get the fugitive. Sources in Soa said the suspected fake controllers have been harassing traders in the Mfoundi Division for the past three weeks and were only caught in the fourth week in the Mefou and Afamba Division.

The Centre Regional Delegate for Trade, Ombele Nama Alain called on traders to be vigilant and to always verify whether the service note provided by the controllers have been signed by the chief of brigade for trade before attending to them.

He said traders should always be in direct contact with the chief of brigade so that each time there is a control team before them they will be able to contact the brigade to be sure that the team is legal. He also called on the public to report to the services of the Ministry of Trade in case of any fake products for action to be taken.