By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, September 26, Mana: Police in Dowa on Wednesday, arrested Abdimalick Bashir, a 26-year-old man of Somali nationality for allegedly being involved in the scheme of forging false travel documents.

Public Relations Officer for Dowa Police Station, Alice Sitima said the conspiracy 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 which led to him contacting the suspect, Bashir, where communication started via WhatsApp, and they agreed on visa processing at a fee of USD 250. Abdisemed promptly transferred the money to Bashir and received the visa within seven days through WhatsApp.

"However, upon arrival at Songwe Boarder on August 26, 2024, immigration officers detained Abdisemed for presenting forged documents," said Sitima.

According to Sitima, Abdisemed reached out to Bashir for clarification of the matter to which Bashir showed ignorance.

"Investigations led to the arrest of Bashir, who revealed that this was not his first time to be involved in an offence involving the production of fake travel documents," she said.

Bashir will appear before court soon, to answer a charge of forgery.