Police arrest woman over illegal bank cash withdraws

Malawi Police in Blantyre are keeping in custody a 29-year-old woman for allegedly obtaining access to peoples bank accounts in fraudulent ways.

One of those tricked, Ian Amboy said he received a call from a person who said she works for TNM plc and that she sought his National Bank of Malawi plc account number as they were upgrading the MO626 mobile transaction platform.

Namboya said the person had said the securing of the account was meant to stop other people from accessing it.

Unsuspecting Namboya gave the person his account number only to observe through alerts that money was being deducted later on.

He said the messages indicated that the money totalling to K234 000 was withdrawn from his account.

Namboya said the money was withdrawn using mobile money transfer with a number that belonged to Edina Saopa.

Police arrested Saopa, who is an Airtel Money Agent, and she has since admitted making the phone calls and the illicit transactions along with Subiri Yusuf Utaka who hails from Kamwendo T/A. Zulu in Mchinji.

Meanwhile, police have found 10 National Identity cards and 8 Sim cards belonging to different people at Saopa’s house.

It is yet to be established how the two access people’s bank accounts.

Saopa is due to appear before court soon to answer charges aligned to the Prohibition of Trade and commerce contrary to section 92 of Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act (2016).