Police in Karonga District, Malawi, arrested a 32-year-old Congolese woman, Christine Manana, for financial fraud. She was caught at Songwe Border Post with more than $23,000 in suspected counterfeit notes and an additional $14,070 in undocumented foreign currency.
The arrest happened on June 23, 2025, around 11:00 AM as Manana was leaving Malawi to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo. She did not have any legal documents for the money she carried.
Police officers from the Fiscal and Fraud Section stopped and searched her during a routine check. After discovering the counterfeit and undocumented cash, she was taken into custody, and the money was seized.
Authorities will send the counterfeit notes to the Reserve Bank of Malawi for forensic analysis. Investigations continue to trace where the fake money and undocumented cash came from.
Christine Manana, a resident of Sudi Village in the DRC, will face court on charges of possessing counterfeit currency, illegal possession of foreign currency, and trying to take money out of Malawi without permission.
She remains in custody as investigations proceed.
