Four suspected members of a counterfeit ring producing fake Covid-19 negative certificates have been arrested in Mozambique.
The gang’s operations centred around the Ressano Garcia border post where people need negative Covid-19 results in Moza to travel to neighbouring South Africa, Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) said.
Two suspects were arrested in mid-March and the others on Monday in the capital, Maputo, Sernic spokesperson Hilario Lole said.
Three of those arrested were government health workers – another was someone who touted their services, he said.
The gang charged between $50 (£36) and $60 for each “test” with a guaranteed negative result.
It is not easy to get a free Covid-19 test at government-run hospitals for the purposes of travel – and private clinics tend to charge around $100 for a test.
Many Mozambicans travel to South Africa for work or to buy goods to resell back home.
