The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has reported the arrest of a land fraudster suspected of conning a woman out of Ksh12 million on a fake land deal.
In a statement on Sunday, April 13, the DCI stated that the 44-year-old was arrested after he sold an already-owned piece of land in the Garissa municipality to the unsuspecting woman.
According to the DCI, payments for the land were made in instalments to the suspect between June 29 and November 21, 2023.
He was nabbed by Kilimani detectives after records from the Garissa Lands Registry revealed a different owner for the piece of land.
The title deed confirmed that the land had never been sold and that the owner to whom the government allocated the land still owned it.
The suspect's documents claiming to be in ownership of the land were thus squashed, leading to detectives launching an investigation into the matter.
He was subsequently smoked out of his hideout in Eastleigh, Nairobi, and taken into custody at Kilimani Police Station.
Currently, the suspect is undergoing processing before he can be arraigned in court and charged.
DCI concluded the statement with a caution from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on the rampant cases of land fraud in the country.
“The Directorate of Criminal Investigations strongly urges members of the public to exercise caution and remain vigilant when conducting land transactions,” noted the DCI.
“It is imperative to thoroughly verify land ownership and ensure the authenticity of all relevant documents to avoid falling victim to fraudulent schemes.”
This new arrest comes on the heels of increasing land fraud cases in the country that have seen several fraudsters arrested with fake title deeds.
On April 3, the eight suspects, including two Ministry of Lands employees, were apprehended by the DCI with dozens of plain and original title deeds, 287 assorted stamps, blank grant titles, allotment letters, 11 unused green cards, 101 passport-size photos for different individuals, certificates of titles, and numerous transfer documents.
