Police in Pikine, a suburb of Dakar, have dismantled a forgery network, leading to the arrest of three individuals and the seizure of a large quantity of counterfeit official documents.
Police sources confirmed on Wednesday that the Pikine district police station apprehended the suspects, who are now facing charges of forgery, use of forged documents, and criminal conspiracy.
The investigation was initiated after a falsified birth certificate was submitted during an application for a national identity card. The individual who presented the fake document was summoned on May 28, 2025, by the Directorate for the Digitization of Records (DAF). This person admitted to purchasing the forged certificate for 50,000 CFA francs (less than 100 US dollars).
Further inquiries led authorities to an intermediary who confessed to facilitating the acquisition of the document through another individual. This individual, identified as the suspected ringleader of the forgery operation, was subsequently arrested.
A search of the alleged ringleader’s residence uncovered a significant cache of fraudulent administrative documents. These included: 464 birth certificates, 320 photocopies of national ID cards, 88 certified copies of birth certificates, 50 deposit receipts, 41 marriage certificates, 27 original birth certificate slips (Volet 1), 23 certificates of residence, and numerous blank official forms.
The three suspects have been referred to the Public Prosecutor at the Pikine-Guédiawaye High Court for further legal action.
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