The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday, June 20, revealed the arrest of a Kenyan woman who had allegedly conned a Chinese national out of Ksh 13 million (USD 101,100).
“A 38-year-old woman has been apprehended by Kamukunji detectives for her role in a bold scam that deceived a Chinese national out of USD 101,000 (Ksh 13M),” the DCI stated.
In a statement, the detectives detailed how the woman posed as the director of a local scrap trading company and claimed she was in a position to supply the foreigner with aluminium alloys.
As part of her elaborate scheme, she provided the victim with a forged bill of lading and a counterfeit Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) certificate of conformity.
These documents falsely asserted that a consignment of 23,890 kilograms of aluminium alloys had been securely packed in a 40-foot container, ready for shipment from the Port of Mombasa to Ningbo, China.
With the certificate and the accompanying documents that appeared to confirm her credibility, the Chinese national went on to transfer the millions into her account. However, this is when the woman disappeared.
“After the unsuspecting complainant transferred a hefty USD 101,100 into Wabwire's bank account, she promptly switched off her phone and vanished without a trace,” the DCI stated.
Despite numerous attempts to contact the woman, the Chinese national’s efforts proved futile. Consequently, they sought assistance from the police, who launched a manhunt for the suspect.
Following investigations and forensic leads, detectives successfully tracked her to a hideout in Tassia, Nairobi, where she was arrested.
The sleuths disclosed that the suspect is now in custody and undergoing processing as she awaits arraignment.
Cases of Kenyans conning foreign nationals are common, with most cases linked to hefty sums of money at play.
Early this year, DCI announced the arrest of 14 Kenyans allegedly involved in a Ksh174 million gold scam.
The 14 were arrested along Chalbi Drive within the Lavington area of Nairobi after weeks of surveillance and a relentless hunt for the city's gold scamming ring.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the detectives had revealed that the suspects obtained the money after allegedly scamming a businessman from the United States.
