James Kariuki was arrested in Nakuru County after traders reported to police that they had been sold supposed fish food which, in reality, turned out to be canned githeri.
He was picked up on Friday at Mawanga Estate.
One Samuel Mwangi revealed how he had lost Sh201,600 after the suspected fraudster recruited him as a broker.
In a story quite similar to those told by other traders who fell victim to the suspect's schemes, he was lured in after he saw Kariuki selling the cans to several customers.
As it turns out, the 'buyers' are actually accomplices used to indirectly persuade traders to place orders for the fish food that appears to be flying off the shelves.
[caption caption="James Kariuki following his arrest on 27/07/2018"]
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"I saw him sell a 410-gramme tin at Sh11,000 when he visited my stall. I was convinced it was a good business and went ahead to buy 24 cans.
"What I did not know is that those he was selling the githeri to in my presence were part of his gang," Mwangi told Standard.
The suspect would switch off his phone immediately after receiving the money from unsuspecting traders.
Another victim, Peter Njoroge, disclosed that he lost Sh37,000 after falling for the Kariuki's orchestrated sales.
"I was not interested until I saw him sell so many cans to his purported clients. I also decided to invest," he stated.
[caption caption="A section of Nakuru town"]
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