English
Kinyarwanda
Rwanda National Police (RNP) has arrested three men, who are suspected to be part of the ring that scams unwitting people with counterfeit currencies.
Louis Rurangirwa, 50, Philippe Uwiragiye, 29, and Jean Bosco Nshimiyimana, 29, were arrested on Sunday in Bumbogo Sector of Gasabo District where they were attempting to defraud their target of Rwf3 million.
According to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Marie-Gorette Umutesi, the Police spokesperson of the Central region, the arrest of the trio resulted from information provided by the would-be victim.
“Rurangirwa said to be the head of the criminal group, was going around telling their targets that his alleged son stole US$10,000 before he was arrested over the crime and detained at Mageragere prison, and in need of help to exchange the money into local currency,” CIP Umutesi said.
According to CIP Umutesi, this was a trick fraudsters were using to con people with counterfeit dollar notes.
“Rurangirwa and his two accomplices, first gave the would-be victim a genuine dollar note of US$50 and showed him a bag containing more dollar notes, they told him they wanted to exchange only $5000 for Rwf3 million instead of about Rwf4.7 million as per the current exchange rate. It turned out that all the dollar notes in the bag were counterfeit and were using the $50 genuine note to lure their target, but they were arrested in the act,” CIP Umutesi
“So far, we have established that there are six people, who are members of the same group, working in two equal groups; the group that was arrested in Gasabo and another that was operating around Kisementi, which is still at large.”
Uwiragiye and Nshimiyimana were recently released from jail after serving their sentence over the same crime.
“Money counterfeiting is a serious economic offense that cannot be tolerated in Rwanda that’s why the public is urged to provide timely information that enables police to conduct such successful operations against such financial crimes. Exchange your money at recognized places like forex bureaus. Think twice when someone tells you he/she is trying to exchange at an unusual rate,” she said.
What the law says
Clause One of article 174 of the law determining offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, defines fraud as deception, obtaining another person’s property, whole or part of his/her finance by use of false names or qualifications, or offering positive promises or threats of future misfortunes.
Clause Two of the same article provides a term of imprisonment of between two and three years, and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million but not more than Rwf5 million, upon conviction.
In article 269 of penal code states: “Any person who, fraudulently counterfeits, falsifies or alters coins or bank notes 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.
Any person, who knowingly acquires or receives coins or notes knowing that it is falsified, even if he/she is not one of counterfeiters or importers of such monies, commits an offence. Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term not less than one year and not more than three years.
