On Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Rand Easter Show in Nasrec, 58-year-old John Gambi, a citizen of Malawi, was taken into custody for having fake US dollars.
Gambi was placed on remand in custody after his Tuesday appearance before the Booysens Magistrate’s Court.
Gambi was arrested after he tried to use fictitious US dollars to buy perfumes from a vendor at the Easter Show.
The booth manager knew him from a prior transaction on March 28, 2024, when Gambi bought perfumes using counterfeit money and made off with about R3600 in change.
After informing the authorities, the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team moved quickly to the location, capturing Gambi and taking ten fake US dollars from him.
The case has been rescheduled for a formal bail application on April 9, 2024.
Since counterfeiting is a severe crime in South Africa, Gambi may suffer legal ramifications while the inquiry is ongoing.
Businesses should be on the lookout for fraudulent activity at all times, especially during major events like the Rand Easter Show, as a result of this occurrence.
Story by Sandile (newspanther.co.za)
