Four people have been arrested at Nairobi's upmarket Runda estate over accusations of running a fake gold business.
In a statement on Thursday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspects are believed to be merchants of fake gold. They have reportedly been running a syndicate from a house in the estate, the officers said.
Reportedly, an unsuspecting foreign national was allegedly defrauded of about Ksh25.8 million ($200,000). The victim was promised gold worth the same amount. He reported to the police after the traders failed to deliver the gold as promised, leading to investigations before the arrests were made.
Later, team of DCI officers from the Nairobi region and DCI Gigiri conducted a raid on the house located along Glory Valley Lane.
A report by the DCI indicated that several other suspects escaped the police dragnet during the raid, and are still at large.
The detectives' search of the house uncovered fake gold bars weighing about 9.5 kgs, among an assorted of other items the individuals have been using in their illicit trade. These included a weighing machine, a plastic briefcase containing an electronic gold tester machine, and several documents, among others.
The crime scene was further processed by the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) detectives to secure more exhibits for the case.
As for the individuals, they are still in custody pending processing and arraignment.
Their apprehension came just days after DCI dismantled a similar fake gold syndicate in Nairobi's estate, Spring Valley.
At least 11 suspects were arrested in the operation carried out on April 30, and a haul of fake gold seized. They are thought to have conned a client about $546,000 (about Ksh70 million).
