Woman Caught Circulating Counterfeit Banknotes in Buea
By Moki S, Mokondo in Buea for Fako News Centre
A young woman is currently behind bars helping the police to gather more information relating to the spread of fake FCFA 10,000 banknotes in markets around Buea. The said lady was caught on August 8, 2019, trying to shortchange her victim with counterfeited bank notes at the Buea Central Market. It was thanks to the timely intervention of the Buea Central Market officials and the police that she was sneaked out of the hands of the angry crowd that was crying for her blood.
Many traders in the market explained that they have been victims of customers who shortchange them with fake banknotes. The victim who raised an alarm in this case explained that the suspect approached her with FCFA 10,000 banknote to
buy crayfish worth FCFA 1,500. Being a victim who has suffered from customers who buy with counterfeited notes, she decided to examine the money closely.
According to the victim, she told her customer that the money was fake after a careful examination. In return, the customer said the money was given to her by her mother to buy. The trader recounted that she asked the lady if she had other money with her but she replied that she did not. To her surprise, she said she saw several FCFA 10,000 notes when the suspect tried to return the money into her purse.
That is when she called the attention of other traders who challenged the suspect to show them the content of her purse. They then saw several counterfeited notes. Their confrontation then alerted other traders and customers in the market who demanded she should be beaten and forced to expose were she gets the fake banknotes from.
That is when the Buea Council Security intervened and the lady was escorted to the office of the Head of the Buea Central Market, Paul Ndive
Njoh.
By the time Fako News Centre could get to the scene, the police had transferred the suspect to the station for further questioning. However, the Head of the market, Mr, Ndive, noted that traders and other market users have complained of the flooding of counterfeited FCFA 10,000 bank notes circulated in the market and other surrounding markets in Buea.
The wish of many now is that the suspect should help disclosed the network so that they can all be brought to face justice and free them from such acts.