A 26-year-old Somalian National is in police custody at Dowa Police Station for forgery.
The Somali National identified as Abdimalick Bashir got arrested on September 25, 2024, for allegedly producing fake travel documents.
According to Dowa Police PRO Alice Sitima, the incident traces back to August this year when a 45-year-old Ethiopian National, Muhammed Abdisemed, planned a business trip to Malawi.
“Seeking assistance to obtain a Visa, Abdisemed contacted his friends at Dzaleka Refugee Camp and was referred to the suspect, Bashir, where communication started via WhatsApp and they agreed on a fee of 250 USD for the Visa processing.
“Then Abdisemed promptly transferred the money to Bashir and received the Visa within seven days through WhatsApp.
Sitima added that, upon arrival at Songwe Border on August 26, 2024, immigration officers detained Abdessemed for presenting forged documents. This prompted Abdisemed to reach out to Bashir for clarification which he (Bashir) showed ignorance of.
“Upon arrival at Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Abdisemed reported the matter to the police. Investigations led to the arrest of Bashir who revealed that this was not his first time offence involving the production of fake travel documents,” she explained.
Bashir will appear before the court soon to answer a charge of forgery.
