Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested four suspects who had used Local Purchase Orders (LPOs) to fraudulently obtain goods worth more than Ksh3.2 million.
In a statement released on Thursday, December 11, the DCI revealed that the four individuals had planned to illegally purchase goods from a major company on two separate occasions.
They were apprehended en route to the company with the forged LPOs, ready to secure goods worth Ksh1.77 million.
The suspects were reportedly intercepted while travelling in a lorry, which was allegedly intended to be their getaway vehicle after acquiring the goods.
A Local Purchase Order (LPO) is a legally binding document issued by a buyer to a supplier to confirm the purchase of goods or services. It outlines key details such as the type of goods, quantity, agreed price, delivery instructions, and payment terms.
"The arrest follows weeks of discreet surveillance, culminating in a swift operation when detectives received intelligence about their next move," DCI stated.
The arrests come barely a week after detectives apprehended four suspects, who were impersonating senior Kenya Prisons Officers and defrauded a businessman of Ksh105,000 through a fake tender scheme.
According to DCI, the four two men and two women approached the victim with a claim that he had secured a deal to supply vegetables to Kitui GK Prison.
They then allegedly posed as Kenya Prisons officer and tricked the man into handing over the cash, after making him believe that the whole deal was legitimate.
The four were apprehended inside their vehicle, which was being monitored by the detectives, and is believed to have been used during the operations.
Police recovered 37 fake Kenya Prisons Service tender approval forms, two fake Kenya Prisons Service job IDs, eight mobile phones, and six ID cards belonging to different individuals during the operation.
After their apprehension, the detectives initiated investigations to establish whether other individuals may have fallen prey to the fake scheme.
