Police seizes forged $20m
Aug 28, 2005
THE Police in the Busia border town have impounded fake (black) 20 million dollar bills, equivalent to sh36b.
By David Wanyama & Steven Candia in Busia
THE Police in the Busia border town have impounded fake (black) 20 million dollar bills, equivalent to sh36b.
Busia Police commander Christopher Barugahare said on Thursday the fake dollars were seized early this month at the customs point as they were being taken into Kenya.
Barugahare said the ‘dollars’ had been wrapped in a big polythene bag and that the suspect took off as the Police checked his luggage.
In Kampala, over the last months, scores of people have lost large sums of money in bogus black dollar deals, despite earlier Police warnings.
The failure to heed Police warning and the apparent continued flourishing of the trade has forced the Police to take a tough stance, announcing that both victims and perpetrators will be prosecuted.
“It takes two to commit the crime and the victim and the suspect will be liable for prosecution,†Kampala Police chief Benson Oyo Nyeko said yesterday.
In one such incident, a man was conned of sh38m and only reported the matter to the Police after running out of patience. Three people, among them a Syrian, were arrested in connection with the scam.
In another incident, a wife of a man only identified as Luwasa, a suspected black dollar dealer, was arrested after Police raided their home in Old Kampala and seized a box of cut paper, chemicals and equipment used in the illicit trade.
The Police also seized counterfeit sh20,000 notes amounting to sh400,000 in Lunyo, Busia district.
Ends
THE Police in the Busia border town have impounded fake (black) 20 million dollar bills, equivalent to sh36b.
Busia Police commander Christopher Barugahare said on Thursday the fake dollars were seized early this month at the customs point as they were being taken into Kenya.
Barugahare said the ‘dollars’ had been wrapped in a big polythene bag and that the suspect took off as the Police checked his luggage.
In Kampala, over the last months, scores of people have lost large sums of money in bogus black dollar deals, despite earlier Police warnings.
The failure to heed Police warning and the apparent continued flourishing of the trade has forced the Police to take a tough stance, announcing that both victims and perpetrators will be prosecuted.
“It takes two to commit the crime and the victim and the suspect will be liable for prosecution,†Kampala Police chief Benson Oyo Nyeko said yesterday.
In one such incident, a man was conned of sh38m and only reported the matter to the Police after running out of patience. Three people, among them a Syrian, were arrested in connection with the scam.
In another incident, a wife of a man only identified as Luwasa, a suspected black dollar dealer, was arrested after Police raided their home in Old Kampala and seized a box of cut paper, chemicals and equipment used in the illicit trade.
The Police also seized counterfeit sh20,000 notes amounting to sh400,000 in Lunyo, Busia district.
Ends