Rumonge: 14 people jailed, accused of fraudulent sale of fuel

14 people spent their first night in the prison of the provincial police station in Rumonge (southwest Burundi). They are suspected of illicit sale of fuel. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

14 people from the trading center of Kagongo, in the Kizuka zone in the district and province of Rumonge were arrested on Thursday by the police.

They were arrested after a search of their households by the police.

Police sources report that “they had information about the fraudulent sale of fuel and narcotics by local residents”.

Soldiers first surrounded the center around 2 a.m. before giving way to police at 5 a.m. on Thursday.

During this search, 400 liters of gasoline were seized. Heads of households in which this fuel was found were apprehended. They are held in the police cell in Rumonge.

This fuel was seized while none of the eight petrol stations in the urban center of Rumonge has had gasoline for a week.

This has resulted in soaring transport ticket prices for passengers using motorcycles, tricycles and gasoline-powered transport vehicles.

The price of the ticket has gone from simple to double, even to triple.