South Sudan police hunt criminals selling fake notes
By Ngor Arol Garang
November 23, 2010 (ABYEI) – Police authorities in the regional capital of Juba are looking for people who allegedly run a plant for manufacturing fake 50 Sudanese Pound (SDG) notes.
Major Afred Wol Wieu, a one of senior police officers at the police headquarters in Buluk, Juba, told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that police have launched a massive manhunt following reliable reports of the existence of group who are allegedly manufacturing the fake notes in the town.
“We [are] reliably informed and have reports that faked notes are in abundance and circulating around in Juba. This is not the first time we are receiving such reports. There have been reports of similar cases in the past.
“Therefore, let me warn residents in the region to be more careful when they are handling the currency because we have reports again that there is a group of people here who are making bank notes of 50 Sudanese [Pounds] denominations and use them to buy what they want,” cautioned Major Wieu
The senior police officer said report of the existence of the fake bank notes was discovered over the weekend at Jebel Kunjur market when Ayen Makoi Dut, a woman from Awerial county Lakes State, bought clothes after exchanging $300 on the black market at Custom Market in Juba.
Wieu said that woman realized that all of the SDG 50 notes she had exchanged were fake when she arrived at her residence in Munuki and began counting the money. She immediately alerted the police but the illegal exchange merchant who gave her the fake notes has not been traced.
“We actually confirmed that all 50 notes she had were faked. The papers of the alleged bank notes are very light and soft compared to the actual legal tender. Also nearly all those fake notes bear the same serial number and when we closely scrutinized them against the light we discovered that the printed picture was missing in all notes,” he added.
Two Juba businessmen have discovered fake SDG 50 notes in their proceeds.
(ST)