Conmen Posing as Medicinal Seed Buyers, Sellers - Police Warn

Police in Embu on Tuesday sounded an alarm on rising cases of fraudsters posing as medicinal seed buyers/sellers.

The con-men dupe unsuspecting Kenyans whom they approach bearing letters and other documentation from research institutions including the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE).

Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Julius Meli stated that at least 10 people had already been arrested and arraigned in court over the scam.

“The con men are cheating unsuspecting individuals that they are buying the seeds, which are ordinary seeds from the bush, at Sh3,500 for laboratory analysis.

"Once the victim buy the seeds the group disappears into thin air and the victim is left with useless seeds with no medicinal value,” Meli told County Review.

He further stated that folllowing a police operation to weed them out, some of the alleged fraudsters moved to neighbouring towns such as Meru and Tharaka Nithi.

Members of the public were asked to stay vigilant and report any cases they witnessed.

A number of area residents had fallen victim to the scam, with many convinced that they had stumbled upon a goldmine.

The fraudsters allegedly came up with elaborate schemes to create the impression that random seeds are quite valuable.

Some are said to have unique medicinal properties not found in conventional medicines.

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