South Africa police arrest a suspected Malawian woman in possession of significant quantity of bank ATM cards

* Also found in possession of a sum of R12,450, which the woman could not account for

* Her phone was seized for further investigation and the suspect was apprehended to face charges of fraud

By Duncan Mlanjira

Gauteng Traffic Police in South Africa reported that they arrested a woman, suspected to be Malawian, who was found in possession of a “significant quantity of bank ATM cards.”

On its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/share/p/uEMLqzRopzYHt7r4/?mibextid=xfxF2i and on X, formerly Twitter, the Gauteng Department of Community Safety reports that they received a tip that a woman suspected of possessing fraudulent bank cards was expected to pitch up at a place called Central Corridor.

Thus the Gauteng traffic police was swiftly sent to Central Corridor where the officers conducted a thorough search, uncovering the significant quantity of bank cards and a sum of R12,450, which the woman could not account for.

“Additionally, her phone was seized for further investigation. The suspect was apprehended and will face charges of fraud,” said the report last week, without mentioning her name not her nationality.

The post showed the ATM cards that were of National Bank of Malawi, First Capital Bank, Standard Bank, NBS Bank and the cash in South African currency, rands.

Cross border fraud of ATM cards is rampant in Malawi as several others have been arrested before by Malawi police as they tried to sneak out through airports.

And in July, Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) foiled a smuggling of over MK42.184 million worth of Malawian bank notes concealed in eight 8 boxes on transit to the United States of America (USA), via a named airline.

A press statement from DEC’s public relations officer, Allan Tamba indicated that the “meticulously coordinated operation operation was carried out at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, leading to the successful apprehension of two foreign nationals”.

The suspects, one American and one Russian, jointly and whilst acting together, were found in possession of significant amounts of Malawian Kwacha in stacks of K20s, K50s, K100s, K200s, K500s, K1,000s, K2,000s and K5,000s denominations concealed in eight wooden boxes.

The statement further said the contraband was discovered by officers from the DEC, Immigration Department, and Bank of Zambia and that the search was later extended to a hotel in Lusaka where the suspects had been staying where other  currencies were found and seized to help with the ongoing investigations.

The seized currencies included:

* Maloti M102,600.00 (currency from the Kingdom of Lesotho) and 24,300 coins;

* Emalangeni (SZL) E243,050.00 (currency from the Kingdom of eSwatini) and 59,900 coins;

* United States dollars  amounting to US$33,883.00;

* British Pound amounting to £200.00;

* Turkish Lira amounting to ₺820.00;

* Zimbabwean Zig amounting to 6,000.00;

* Convertible Mark (currency for Bosnia) BAM30 and Congolese Franc 7.

Other items which were seized included a Toyota Hilux registration Number BBC 8613; car rental documents two iPads; two Iphones; various documents and one American Passport and three Russian Passports.