The forces of the national gendarmerie brigade of Yaounde 1 have dismantled a fake document production sector in Emana and Nkolmesseng Yaounde, Cameroon. Three men who have been operating in the fraudulent industry for more than seven years were running the sector.
It was at the end of a well-conducted investigation that the gendarmes were able to get their hands on three alleged forgers. The suspects were arrested and presented to the press on October 17, 2023, with their loot.
The gendarmes seized fake identity cards, passports, marriage certificates, birth certificates, diplomas, and other documents during the raid. They also seized fake administrative stamps.
The head of the office in charge of investigations at the first gendarmerie region of Yaounde 1, Lieutenant Guy Njouma, said that the sector was producing high-quality fake documents that were difficult to distinguish from real ones. He added that the men were selling the fake documents to people who wanted to use them to commit identity theft, fraud, and other crimes.
“They offered land with fraudulent land titles to users who considered them authentic and were scammed.”
“We are still investigating the matter to determine the full extent of the operation and to identify the people who were buying the fake documents,” Njouma said. “We are also working to determine how the men were able to obtain the fake administrative stamps.”
The three men are currently in custody and will be charged with fraud and other crimes.
“We are warning people to be careful when buying documents from unauthorised sources. Fake documents can be used to commit identity theft, fraud, and other crimes. If you need to obtain a document, please go to the appropriate government agency.” Njouma added.
The high rate of unemployment in Cameroon has led many Cameroonians into dubious activities just to make a living. People no longer care about doing noble jobs so long as they see anything that can earn them some money.
This high rate of unemployment tremendously increased a few years after Paul Biya’s ascension into power. His reign for the past 40 years has been characterised by the high rate of crimes, economic crisis, political instability with serious crises constantly emerging, and unemployment due to a lack of companies created to employ the thousands of Cameroonians who graduate each year.
This situation has pushed Cameroonians to dive into fraudulent activities just to make money.
