BUJUMBURA January 5th (ABP) – A sum of 150,000,000 BIF was stolen from Burundi Trade Bank (BANCOBU), on December 28, 2021, by robbers who used new information technology, the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security, Mr. Pierre Nkurikiye, announced during a press briefing he held on Monday, January 3, 2022, in Bujumbura.
Mr. Nkurikiye said that those 4 people who were caught, were made up of two computer scientists from BANCOBU and a lady whose machine was used to carry out the withdrawal operation, and another person who was in acting as a spy to inform those thieves, in order to transfer that money to their own account without interruption.
The spokesperson for the ministry responsible for Public Security, indicated to the press that those thieves were apprehended between December 31, 2021 and January 1, 2022, after receiving complaints from the staff of that bank and the ministry has started to investigate to be able to catch those alleged perpetrators of that act.
He also reported that those criminals are among others, Nestor Niyongabo a computer scientist from that bank, who installed an application in three machines of that bank, allowing people from outside to make operations to those machines using that application and carry out withdrawal operations.
He also cited Mrs. Ella Muhimpundu whose machine was used for that operation and withdraw a sum of 150,000,000 francs, taking advantage of her absence. He again cited Mr. Fabrice Ndayishimiye, who created another account to be able to deposit that stolen money and a certain Prosper Ntihebuwayo who acted as a spy in order to inform that team of the absence of Muhimpundu Ella.
The spokesperson for that ministry said that the police have already seized seventeen million from Fabrice Ndayishimiye and 12,000,000 francs used to purchase a vehicle (probox brand) and seven million used to buy a tricycle commonly called Bajaj.
At Nestor Niyongabo, the police seized 10,000,000 of our francs deposited in his wife’s account at Coopec and 11,000,000 francs deposited at Kazoza microfinance as well as 20,000,000 francs, which had been given to Mr. Prosper Ntihebuwayo as a reward, while specifying that the police have already recovered 70,000,000 francs.
Asked about the fate of those thieves, Mr. Nkurikiye said that the mission of the police was to arrest them and recover the stolen money, adding that the case will be brought to justice.
He thanked the staff of that bank for working well with the police to catch those thieves. He asked the people of Burundi to be careful not to fall victim to that kind of theft.
The director general of BANCOBU, Mrs. Trinitas Girukwishaka, thanked the Good Lord who made that operation to arrest those thieves successful. She took the opportunity to thank the government of Burundi, through the ministry in charge of public security, with self-giving in catching those thieves and being able to recover the stolen money. She also thanked the staff of BANCOBU, who informed the general management and the security service in right time.
Mrs. Girukwishaka took the opportunity to remind the bank staff under her leadership to work well, and sent a message to Burundian youth to work diligently, to earn money honestly and to follow advice from the Burundi Head of State, inviting them to work in order to earn a living.