Authorities Make Arrest In Counterfeit Money Operation in Mekelle

ADDIS ABABA – An undisclosed number of suspects have been arrested in counterfeit money operations in Mekelle, capital City of Tigray regional state, Northern Command of the national army said.

In a joint operation conducted by the federal police and the country’s intelligence agency, the criminal gang suspected of introduction and distribution of counterfeit currency in Ethiopia.

Security officials arrested the suspects while printing fake money in the city, Col. Kassa Melaku, head of Operations Department Head of the Northern Command, told the state media.

authorities said the individuals were recruited by the defunct TPLF party with an intention to harm the country’s economy by injecting fake money into the economy.

Together with the suspects, security forces have also seized over 570, 000 counterfeit Ethiopian Birr and machines with capacity of printing 670,000 notes per week.

The suspects  had a plan to send the fake money to Humera and other border areas of the country for distribution, said Col. Kassa, describing them as agents of the fugitive group of the ousted party.

Apart from Birr, he said the suspects have also been counterfeiting Eritrean currency, Nakfa, and currencies of other countries to disturb the economy of the country.

Previously, they had managed to distribute fake currencies in Amhara region and border areas of Tigray border areas as well as around the borders of Sudan and Eritrea.

Authorities advised the public to be aware of the situation and become vigilant.

During the joint operation, seals of different government institutions as well as fake identity cards of Humera and surrounding areas were seized.

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Featured Image: Ethiopian birr [Photo File]