Mozambique: Duo arrested for falsifying documents of a deceased person – Watch

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Mozambique: Duo arrested for falsifying documents of a deceased person – Watch

1:07 CAT | 27 May 2025

Screen grab: Miramar

A man and a woman are currently being held in the cells of the 1st Precinct police station in Nampula, accused of falsifying documents in the name of a deceased person, the woman’s stepfather and a former combatant, from whom they seized more than 100,000 thousand meticais.

The crime was committed in August last year, subsequently motivating the suspects to orchestrate an escape to the city of Nampula, where they were arrested.

The information was released on Monday (26) afternoon by police spokesperson Rosa Nilza Chaúque, who explained that the couple were detained when they were trying to withdraw 50,000 meticais from a bank in the city of Nampula.

“Two individuals were detained in the province of Nampula, one of whom came from Cabo Delgado province. The same citizen had allegedly falsified documentation belonging to her deceased stepfather, who was a former combatant, and went to a bank branch, where she withdrew an amount of 128,000 meticais. She was also working in coordination with one of her accomplices, currently still at large. After these withdrawals, she went to Nampula province, where she intended to withdraw an amount of 50,000 meticais,” Chaúque related.

The PRM spokesperson said that the individuals were detained after a complaint was made by people close to them who were suspicious of the couple’s movements.

Speaking to Ikweli, one of the suspects said that he had been lured into participating in the crime by his brother-in-law,

“I am here because my brother-in-law and I were asked to testify about these people who were coming from the district of Pemba, so that they could withdraw money from a deceased person who was their uncle. At the time, I was on my farm in the district of Namaita. They said that I was going to withdraw money from the same deceased person. That is why you are going to pretend to be the deceased by answering by his name. They said that I would have some ‘refrescos’. I accepted. We went to the bank, they withdrew the money and gave me 6,000 meticais, and they said that I would be the owner of the account and would receive monthly payments,” the suspect explained.

“The second time we couldn’t do it,” said the suspect, in tears. “We were immediately captured. I accepted because it was money and I want to help my children study. If it had been a war, I wouldn’t have accepted. I am very sorry and I will never do it again.”

Meanwhile, the accused, his 31-year-old wife confessed:

“I was simply asked by my uncle’s brother-in-law to come to the city of Nampula to act on his behalf as someone with power of attorney. So on the 21st we went to the ABSA bank in the city of Nampula to withdraw 50,000 meticais. Suddenly, we saw police officers coming to arrest us, claiming that we had falsified documents. However, we only falsified the ID of my stepfather, who had already died in August, 2024, and was a former combatant. The aim was to withdraw money, but I did not benefit from the money.”