Cameroonian player arrested in Mauritius over passport scam

Cameroonian midfielder Marcel Wamba Kepdep has been arrested in Mauritius after he tried to illegally obtain a Mauritian passport.

The 27-year-old has been playing for Mauritian side Roche-Bois Bolton City and was hoping to travel to Europe with the documents.

Kepdep remains in police custody after his provisional indictment in court.

One major advantage enjoyed by Mauritian passport holders can travel visa-free to the Schengen region in Europe for tourism and business purposes for a period of up to 90 days.

Mauritius’ Central Criminal Investigation Division (CCID) is investigating a network trying to sell Mauritian passports to foreigners, including African footballers playing in the country.

Following the arrest of three people in Port Louis as part of a police crackdown the authorities examined computer files and seized fake passports.

Among the documents were some that features photos of Marcel Wamba Kepdep, but under a different name.

Following his arrest the Cameroonian confessed he had approached this network to obtain a Mauritian passport before heading to Europe.

Football in Mauritius has been suspended due to the global COVID-19 pandemic meaning that many players contract’s will not be renewed as teams are having struggle to pay them.

Kepdep participated in the Confederation Cup last year as Roche-Bois Bolton City made their debut in the second-tier continental club competition with a win over Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy, before being eliminated by Zambian side Zanaco.

Source: bbc.com