Police in Rusizi District have arrested a 39-year old man in connection with forging stamps of various schools and government officers.
Jean Pierre Ngirabatware was arrested on February 17 after he was found in possession of 41 forged stamps and 25 forged students’ report cards.
According to the Western Region Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Emmanuel Hitayezu, the forgeries were recovered from Ngirabatware’s house in Shara Cell of Muganza Sector following investigations.
“38 stamps were of different schools and three others of the district notary,” said Supt. Hitayezu.
“Investigations started recently when one student was found with a forged terminal report card, so when officers went to Ngirabatware’s house for search after he was linked to the first case, they recovered 41 forged stamps including the one he used to forge the student’s report card, and other 25 forged report cards,” he added.
The suspect is currently held at Muganza Police station as investigations continue.
“We are continuing with investigations to find out if there are other people involved in this criminal act, and if there are other students and people that have used this unlawful channel as means to acquire other services with forged documents,” he noted, warning against “shortcut criminal means that are punishable under article 609 of the Rwandan penal code.
Article 609 stipulates that; “any person who forges or alters documents by forged signature or fingerprint, falsifying documents or signatures or impersonation, forging agreements, its provisions, obligations, discharged obligations shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of more than five years to seven years and a fine of Rwf300, 000 to Rwf3 million.”
“Even those that hold such fake document will in one way or another be identified and will be prosecuted.”
SP Hitayezu thanked residents of Rusizi for providing information that led to Ngirabatware’s arrest, and appealed to them to maintain the spirit of community policing.
UM– USEKE.RW
