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Kinyarwanda
Police in Ruhango District arrested a 33-year-old man after he was found in possession of US$300, all fake.
The suspect, Pierre Nsengiyumva currently detained at Kinazi Police station, was at the time of his arrest attempting to exchange the forged dollar notes into local currency, Police said.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region, said they are working with Rwanda Investigation Bureau to establish the source of the fake money and all those that could be connected to this financial crime.
"Nsengiyumva initially exchanged $50 genuine note at a bank branch in Kinazi," CIP Karekezi said.
"The suspect went back shortly after with $300, all forged, which he also tried to exchange but the notes were noticed by the teller, the bank called Police in Kinazi and the suspect was arrested before fleeing the scene," he added.
He said circulators of fake foreign currencies target especially forex bureaus while fraudsters in the local currency especially in the denominations of Rwf2, 000 and Rwf5, 000, tend to target mobile banking agents, and small shops.
He called for vigilance and partnership against such criminals.
According to article 269 of the new penal code, anyone convicted of counterfeit, falsification or alteration of currency or monetary signs or their distribution faces an imprisonment term of not less than five years and not more than seven years.
