Police raid fake documents processing centre

Five people who have allegedly been forging travel documents, work permits and academic certificates among other documents have been arrested by police and the Directorate of Immigration.

The suspects’ luck run out after allegedly getting $89,000 (Shs322 million) from a foreign businessman who wanted to set up business in Uganda.

The businessman got all the necessary documents and paperwork from the fraudsters and was ready to open shop.
The fraudsters gave him an investment licence, a work permit, a Ugandan passport and other necessary related documents.

The problem, however, all the documents were fake.
Immigration officials say, after securing the documents, the businessman decided to travel abroad.
However, while clearing at Entebbe Airport, immigration officials detected his fake passport and detained him.

When he was quizzed, he revealed where he got the passport and led immigration officials to the 4th Floor on Muzanganda Plaza, on Luwum Street in Kampala.

Police arrested all the suspects who were allegedly processes the bogus documents.

Police recovered Certificates of Incorporation, Investment Licences, several Form 2s, NIRA Birth Certificates, Driving Licences, Marriage Certificates, School Identity Cards, Admission Letters of several universities and schools, Police Bond Forms, Yellow Fever Certificates, UNEB pass slips, passports, Interstate passes, Visa Stickers of several countries, Work Permits, Student passes, Special passes, Dependant passes, certificates of residence, immigration stamps and seals as well as academic transcripts of universities in Uganda, DR Congo and Rwanda.

"We encourage whoever wants to use our documents to access them using the right channels and we discourage our staff from collecting cash from anyone because the documents are affordable and all government offices like NIRA, URA, URSB, have standard charges levied on these documents," Mr Jacob Simiyu, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.