By Rahim Abdul
Two men have been arrested by Lilongwe Police for allegedly masterminding a sophisticated fraud scheme that saw assorted stationery worth K48 million obtained from Central Government Stores using forged cheques and fake identities of local council employees.
The suspects, identified as Reuben Nzandu, 42, and Joseph Phiri, 50, are accused of posing as officials from various district councils to fraudulently acquire government supplies from Central Government Stores offices in Lilongwe and Blantyre.
According to police investigations, the first incident occurred on April 28, 2026, when the suspects allegedly presented themselves as employees of Ntcheu District Council and purchased stationery valued at K20.4 million from Central Government Stores in Area 4, Lilongwe.
The duo reportedly used a National Bank cheque bearing the name of Ntcheu District Council as payment. However, bank officials later detected irregularities in the account details and rejected the cheque.
By the time the fraud was discovered, the suspects had already collected the stationery and disappeared after providing false contact information to officials.
As detectives from Area 3 Police Station pursued the Lilongwe case, investigations uncovered another attempted transaction at Central Government Stores in Blantyre involving stationery worth K28 million.
In the second incident, individuals allegedly posing as employees of Thyolo District Council sought to obtain the stationery using another forged cheque. Acting swiftly, detectives tracked the suspects and intercepted them before they could leave the premises with the goods.
Police found the stationery already loaded onto a three-tonne Mazda lorry registration number BT 54835, ready for transportation.
A subsequent search led to the recovery of crucial evidence, including a receipt linked to the earlier Lilongwe transaction, a forged NBS Bank cheque, a forged Local Purchase Order (LPO), and a payment voucher bearing details of Phalombe District Council.
Investigators believe the recovered documents were intended for yet another fraudulent transaction targeting government institutions. Police say the suspects admitted that the documents were prepared for future use.
All stationery that had been fraudulently obtained has since been recovered from Biwi and City Centre locations in Lilongwe, providing a major breakthrough in the case.
The suspects are expected to appear before court soon where they will answer charges of Fraud Other Than False Pretences, Forgery and Personating Persons Employed in the Public Service. Police have described the arrests as a significant step in protecting public resources and preventing fraud within government procurement systems.
