A Burundian national suspected of stealing a substantial amount of money from his country resorted to extreme measures by injuring himself to hinder his transfer back to Burundi from Rwanda.
Jolis Bukeyeneza, 30, was apprehended by Rwandan authorities on October 7 on an Interpol red notice, owing to the fact that he was being suspected of stealing 29 million Burundian Francs from the commercial bank of Bujumbura, where he was an employee.
He is alleged to have committed the crimes in June and fled to Rwanda, where he was grabbed following an intensive investigation into a large-scale financial fraud case on October 7
His transfer to the Burundian police was meant to take place on Friday, but it did not happen as he inflicted injuries on himself that required treatment.
As preparations were being made for the extradition process, which would have seen the suspect handed over to Burundian authorities to face trial, a dramatic twist unfolded. In a desperate attempt to avoid facing justice, the suspect inflicted self-inflicted injuries, causing widespread panic among those present.
Speaking to the media, Thierry Murangira, the spokesperson of RIB, said the suspect injured himself while in a RIB vehicle en route to Rwanda’s border with Burundi in Bugesera District.
“He injured his arms using handcuffs and thereafter pretended to be unconscious,” Murangira said.
The man sustained injuries, which required that the investigators first take him to Nyamata District Hospital for treatment before he could be transferred to his country.
Burundian officials visited him at the hospital.
“He will surely soon be handed over to Burundi when he recovers,” Murangira said.
Police Colonel Frederic Minani, an Interpol official from Burundi, praised Rwanda’s cooperation with his country in fighting cross-border crimes.
“That is why we are here. We exchanged information when he had just been arrested,” he said.
