Police in Blantyre are keeping in custody two cake bakers identified as Tumpale Ghambi, 24, and Sibongire Kaira aged 25 on allegation that they decorated a cake using K500 bank notes amounting to K35,000.
According to Blantyre Police Assistant Public Relations Officer Constable Ivy Mwalabu, the duo who are into cake baking business, in Kanjedza on January 7, 2023, coated their cake using Five hundred-kwacha notes amounting to K35,000 as decoration.
They then posted the cake on Facebook as a way of advertising their business.
“Reserve bank of Malawi officials reported the matter to Blantyre Police Station after noticing the advert on social media and police launched manhunt for the two,” said Mwalabu.
The suspects have since been charged with damaging Malawian currency and they will appear before court when investigations are completed.
Ghambi comes from Mwenilondo Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kyungu in Karonga District while Kaira is from Wenya Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mwenewenye in Chitipa District.
Years ago, the RBM disclosed that it is to spent about K13.2 billion for replacing damaged bank notes in the country. The huge cost of replacing the currency follows poor handling of money which causes damage to the notes.
The central bank also disclosed that the cost of replacing damaged currency had gone up by K3.2 billion in 2017 since K10 billion was used for a similar operation in 2016.
