Money laundering: police discover $400,000 in washing machine

Police have seized US$398,500 in forged dollars after raiding Mahchangolhi Fortune at 6:00pm yesterday.

Chief Inspector of police Mohamed Jamsheed said Ibrahim Khaleel of Lhaimagu in Shaviyani Atoll was arrested in connection with the case.

Jamsheed discovered hidden inside a washing machine in the rented apartment.

”We are checking to see whether this money has been circulated anywhere,” he said.

He noted that the forged bills had two serial numbers repeated on all the notes.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Ahmed Inaz said the printing of forged dollar notes did not harm the country’s economic condition “as the central bank and other banks will not accept any form of money without verifying it.”

Inaz said the people who used the black market would be more concerned about the printing of forged notes.

Such incidents of forgery were not being sparked by the current dollar shortage, he explained.

”Thieves will steal any time,” he said, adding that ”the country’s economic condition is now getting better.”