Notorious swindler and scammer Karanta Darboe has allegedly struck in the Cape Point area of Bakau and gone away with D100,000.
At 11am on Friday, 15 March, Karanta reportedly pulled up in a car by AMM Forex Bureau and went inside.
He whipped out a crisp 1,000 Swiss franc note and requested it to be changed to dalasis. The unsuspecting bureau attendant, Miss C (name withheld upon request) promptly called AMM head office and sent them a photo of the note. She was advised to offer the exchange rate of D73.50 to the franc.
Karanta then pulled out four 100 US dollar notes and he was offered an exchange rate of D67 to the dollar for them.
He was then paid D73,500 for the 1,000 Swiss francs and D26,800 for the 400 US dollars totaling D100,300. He then exited the bureau, entered the vehicle and drove off.
Miss C then took the foreign currency notes and went to a nearby forex bureau where they were tested and found to be fake. She reported the matter to her head office and was advised to lodge a formal complaint at the police.
She explained to The Standard: “So I went to the Bakau Police Station, presented the fake notes and made a statement. I was asked whether we had a scanner and cameras at the bureau. I replied no. I was asked whether I knew the person who brought the foreign currencies. I replied no. Then I was shown a photo of a man from a mobile phone and I immediately recognised him. They told me his name was Karanta. He is the very man who brought the money to the bureau.”
But contacted for comment last evening, Deputy Police Spokesperson ASP Modou Musa Sisawo told this paper: “A young lady who works in a money exchange bureau went to the Bakau station to report a case of counterfeit money. According to her, the suspect was an unknown person. Her statement was taken and a file was opened for investigation. It was forwarded to the CID. At the time of reporting the case, there has not been anyone identified to have been the suspect. The complainant did not give any name so at the time they could not verify any suspect. I cannot tell if the CID made any development in identifying the suspect.”
