Police in Lilongwe have arrested a group of eight individuals, including a couple, for allegedly defrauding Salima Sugar Company out of K264 million by altering bank documents.
According to police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu, 56-year-old Najulu Miah from Bangladesh and his 40-year-old Malawian wife, Smeda Juma, were among those arrested along with six others.
The group is believed to have falsely claimed they were purchasing sugar to distribute to vulnerable people in Chikwawa district. They allegedly transferred K12,300 to the company’s bank account but inflated the amount on the paperwork to K123 million. Similar fraudulent activities were reported with transactions of K30,750 and K110,960.
The company later discovered the fraud and reported it to the police. In their investigations, police managed to apprehend the suspects despite them changing their phone numbers.
The accused include Abbas Adam (38) from Tanzania, Innocent Zinjaro (26) from Burundi, Kelvin Gellah (43), Mike Nkhono (47), Vincent Phiri (33), and Alick Rabson (42).
They face various charges including forgery, theft, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
