The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Saturday, March 15, announced the arrest of two fraudsters involved in a vehicle importation scam.
Through a statement, the detectives revealed that the two had swindled a Kenyan out of Ksh1.1 million in the scam, adding that the two criminals were in police custody.
“Detectives from DCI Kilimani have nabbed two crafty fraudsters accused of swindling a Kenyan out of Ksh1.1 million in a sham vehicle importation scam,” the sleuths revealed.
Detailing the apprehension of the two, the detectives disclosed that the scam dated back three years ago when one of the scammers went under the pretence of being a salesperson at a vehicle dealership in Nairobi, where he met with the unsuspecting Kenyan.
In his con job, the fraudster lured the victim with the false promises of delivering two vehicles, a Probox and Matatu, for a combined value of Ksh2.9 million.
“The incident dates back to May 27, 2022, when the fraudster, masquerading as a savvy salesperson at a vehicle dealership, duped an unsuspecting victim with promises of delivering two vehicles, a Probox Extra and a 14-seater Toyota Hiace 7L for Ksh2.9 million,” the DCI stated.
The victim, seemingly lured by the sweet deal, promptly paid a hefty deposit fee of Ksh1.1 million only to see the ‘salesman’ vanish into thin air, leaving him counting his losses.
Consequently, the sleuths launched a manhunt for the con man, who, through forensic intelligence, trailed the scammer to his hideout in an apartment block where several SIM cards were seized.
Further investigations by the detectives led them to the fraudster’s accomplice in Thika, where they recovered a SIM card linked to a hefty payment from the victim.
“The con man further led detectives to his accomplice in Makongeni, Thika, where they recovered a SIM card linked to a Ksh550,000 payment from the victim,” DCI noted.
The latest comes after DCI recently arrested two Kenyans accused of masterminding a Ksh22 million edible oil scam that defrauded five businessmen.
In the scam, one of the fraudsters claimed that his female accomplice had acquired a lucrative tender with the World Food Program (WFP) to supply edible oil to the Kakuma Refugee Camp.
According to the man, the business venture promised an immense profit, and his overtures were enough to lure businessmen who were oblivious to the ponzi scheme, investing their hard-earned cash in the scam.
