Police operations against syndicates that print and distribute fake money in different parts of the country led to the arrest of one Djabil Munguyiko, 23, in Rubavu District, who is suspected to be the mastermind of one of the rackets. Munguyiko, a student of the Independent University of Kigali (ULK)-Kigali campus, was arrested on Saturday, October 3, in Rubavu sector, Byahi cell in Buhuru village with counterfeit money amounting to over Rwf13.6 million. The counterfeit notes were in US dollars (136 bills in the denominations of $100) and Rwandan francs (114 bills in the denominations of Rwf5,000). Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, said that Police also recovered other ten bundles of papers cut in the shape of size of the Rwf5,000 bill as well as machines and other raw materials he was using to produce fake bills. Each bundle contained 100 piece of papers. How Munguyiko was identified The arrest of Munguyiko, according to CIP Karekezi, was a result of previous arrests. Some people, who were arrested with fake money in the previous operations in Rubavu named Munguyiko as their recruiter and ringleader, and he has since been in hiding shifting his known hideouts and operations from one place to another to evade arrest, CIP Karekezi said. He added: On October 3, following information from a resident on the house from where Munguyiko had relocated to and running his criminal business; Police raided the said house at around 4pm where he was arrested and in the process 136 fake notes of US$100, 114 counterfeit notes in the denominations of Rwf5000, ten bundles of papers cut like money, which they were yet to dye to make more fake notes, two devices he was using to print the monies and one pellet of cannabis, were recovered. All the counterfeit bills he was caught with had the same serial numbers; LG04727792 for dollar notes and ABO939102 for the local currency fake bills. Munguyiko has since been handed over to RIB in Gisenyi alongside the exhibits. Two of his alleged members identified as Francis Ngarambe and Innocent Nsanzamahoro were arrested on September 29, also in Rubavu District, Gisenyi Sector with counterfeit dollar notes amounting to $1100. CIP Karekezi called upon the general public to be vigilant against such criminals and give no room for them to operate by providing information on anyone they suspect to be involved in these financial crimes so that they can face justice. Article 296 in the penal code says “any person who, fraudulently counterfeits, falsifies or alters coins or banknotes which are legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, notes issued by the treasury with its stamp or brand, either banknotes or alike that have legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, or one who introduces or issues in Rwanda such effects or notes with knowledge that they are forged or falsified, commits an offence. Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five (5) years and not more than seven (7) years.”
