A man suspected to have been issuing forged documents was arrested on Tuesday in Gitega Sector of Nyarugenge District with forged stamps for at least 77 public and private institutions.

David Kayisire was at the time of his arrest trying to defraud an unsuspecting woman, Rwanda Nation Police said, adding that they had been trailing him for a while. 

Among the stamps he possessed included those of commercial banks such as Bank of Kigali, Equity Bank and Banque Populaire du Rwanda, police said.

Others include courts, National Land Centre, Police Traffic and Road Safety Department, hospitals, universities and secondary schools, among others.

Police said that he was found in possession of various forged documents, including those of the University of Lay Adventists of Kigali (UNILAK), Kigali Institute of Management (KIM), and Muhima hospital, as well as receipts for various institutions, birth certificates and public insurance—Mutuelle de Santé.

Kayisire, while speaking to the media on Wednesday, admitted to the crime, and narrated how he was conducting the criminal acts.

"I have been into this for a while now, and the majority of my clients are students and those seeking certificates for certain levels of education for varied reasons,” Kayisire told journalists.

He added: "I issued academic transcripts for the University of Kigali and University of Rwanda; reports and other documents for schools like Groupe Scolaire St. Aloys and Groupe Scolaire Rwisirabo.”

GS St. Aloys and GS Rwisirabo are based in Rwamagana and Muhanga districts, respectively.

According to Kayisire, he was introduced to these criminal acts by his friend and former roommate.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was issuing a forged document for Gisozi Sector in Gasabo District.

His prey had been denied some services by local authorities in Gisozi Sector, before she said the services of Kayisire, whom she paid Rwf20,000 for the service.

He was allegedly arrested receiving the money and found with the same forged document which he was handing over to the woman. Gisozi is among the four sectors, whose stamps the suspect says he forged.

Chief Inspector of Police Marie Gorret Umutesi, the Police Spokesperson for the City of Kigali, said that the arrest resulted from a tip-off from a would-be victim.

"We applaud those who continue to say no to criminality and report wrongdoers. Public services are offered at known offices but not on streets or in any other building,” Umutesi said.

"This is a crime of forgery and usurpation of powers, which is punishable under article 276 of the penal code,”

The article states that "any person who, in any manner, forges or alters documents by  forged signature or fingerprint, falsifying documents or signatures or impersonation, forging  agreements, its provisions, obligations, or discharged obligations commits an offence.

"Any person, who, with fraudulent intention, produces a false written document, causes to write false statements or produces a conflicting declaration, is considered to commit the offence of forgery.”

If found guilty, Kayisire could serve up to seven years in prison, and fined up to Rwf5 million.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com