Police arrest master forgers

Police have arrested two men for allegedly forging several documents including vehicle inspection certificates, university and secondary school transcripts, driving licenses and many other documents offered by Rwanda Revenue Authority. The suspects, identified as Theophile Ntiwiragabo, 28, and Jean Baptiste Hitayezu, 30, were arrested on Monday around Remera suburbs. Ntiwiragabo had jumped bail on similar charges early this year. According to Police Spokesman Marcel Higiro, the suspected counterfeiters were arrested after Traffic police realised that some vehicles around town had illegal vehicle inspection certificates, hence launching an investigation that led to the arrest of the two suspects. The two shared work equally; Ntiwiragabo was the technical brain behind the forgeries while Hitayezu sourced for clients and followed up payments. It is the second time Ntiwiragabo is going behind bars; he was early this year arrested and charged of the same crime of forgery, and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. According to Hitayezu, vehicle inspection certificates, together with the seal that accompanies the license, were going for Frw100,000 which they shared equally. Ntiwiragabo whose offices are situated in Nyamirambo, a Kigali City suburb, said that the two had just been in business for one month and he had already generated over Frw 500,000 from licenses offered to over 20 vehicles. He also said that he was getting some money, an amount he did not specify, from other documents he was forging. He, however, said that he was ready to provide the police with leads to everybody involved in any type of forgery and those that are using forged documents. Both suspects admit their crimes and are yet to be produced in court. Ends

National

Police arrest master forgers