KIGALI - An employee of GAPCO, an Asian owned- Petroleum Company is currently being held by Police in connection with the theft of Rwf 70m, on Saturday morning.

The suspect, Anicet Korabwangu, 27, was arrested the same day at Giti Kinyoni in Nyarugenge District as he headed south of the country.

Chief Supt. Rogers Rutikanga, Kigali Regional Police Commander (RPC) confirmed the arrest.

"We received information from Bank of Kigali (BK) that someone has cheated the bank. We informed all road blocks and border posts and gave them all his identities and he (Korabwangu) was arrested at Giti Kinyoni as he left Kigali. He was found with Rwf 69, 550,000,” Rutikanga said.
Korabwangu, was arrested with his wife and the driver of a vehicle he is said to have hired.

According to Police, the suspect opened an account with Bank of Kigali (BK) called, Petroleum Company, of which he posed as the director of GAPCO, in the names of Patrick Rubangura.

Rutikanga said that Korabwangu was found in possession of two national IDs, with different names, but same photo. The suspect is said to have stolen the company’s cheque book and forged the signature of GAPCO’S Country Director, then transferred the money from the company’s account, in the same bank to his account.

Korabwangu transferred Rwf 102m to his newly opened account then went on to withdraw Rwf 70m, which he claimed was to pay for the imported fuel.

"The bank official who authorised the withdrawal later discovered that he (Korabwangu) conned the bank and alerted the police for help,” Rutikanga said.

According to police, Korabwangu had planned to withdraw the balance (Rwf 32m) from the bank’s Gitarama branch.
However, Korabwangu told The New Times that he was just following his boss’s (Burnish Kumar) orders, adding that Kumar had fallen out with fellow proprietors and was looking for a way to get out with the money.

"He gave me a signed cheque and told me to transfer the money to the newly opened account before withdrawing it and taking it to him, in either francs or dollars,” Korabwangu said, adding that he was to receive Rwf 20m, for his role and the plan was to meet at Kamembe, Rusiizi district.

He further claimed that his boss had previously planned to steal Rwf 200m but the move was abandoned after they realised it would take long to withdraw it all following new withdraw regulations.

Police said that such crimes are on the rise especially among youth working in big companies.

"We are working with the population to arrest culprits and sensitizing the population about such crimes,” Rutikanga said.

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