The group of four was reportedly by an ex-gendarme who is said to have orchestrated the activities and operations to defraud uniformed men.
The activities of the four alleged criminals included amongst others, impersonating officials of the Secretariat of State for Defense while promising uniformed officers promotion in return for cash.
The ex service man amongst them had used his connections with the Secretariat of State for Defense to obtain some files of and telephone directories, through which they were able to target their victims.
The three men and one woman had reportedly successfully defrauded some men before they were apprehended.
When quizzed about their activities, one of the suspects who goes by the name Mekinda (the ex-service man) tried justifying his actions by blaming it on the frustrations of being relieved off his duties as an ex-civil servant.
He said “When you find yourself overnight in the street, when you have been a civil servant, you are ready to do anything to make your children survive”.
As an ex-service man, the leader of the group was handed over to the SED while his accomplices were presented to the press and taken to detention elsewhere.