Various reports from victims of the rampant gold scam enterprise in Kenya, as well as the police, have revealed how the transfer of two officers and the dismissal of a key detective left the notorious cartel open and vulnerable.
A German National, Muhammet Mertoglu, who claimed to have lost Ksh23 million in a gold scam deal orchestrated by Samir Munyinyi, revealed how such conmen are able to operate with impunity.
Mertoglu spoke to the Daily Nation during his 4th trip to Kenya in an effort to retrieve his money but with little success so far.
“This cartel knows how to use the law and they are well connected. They can intercept police files whenever they want,” he divulged.
His case, just as with the last three, was postponed after a key witness failed to show up, citing that he had an emergency, but Mertoglu was adamant that this was a just mere tactic to stall the case and ensure that it was thrown out.
Reports by the Nation alleged that officers were pocketing approximately Ksh2 million on average in order to act as a personal wall between the cartel and their frustrated victims.
These gold scam dons ensured that all their bases were covered, with senior officers allegedly receiving huge amounts of money to ensure that once banks notified the fraud unit of lumpsum transactions regarding their accounts, it would just be swept under the rug.
It was further claimed that these officers always ensured that any cases touching on their benefactors were funnelled to specific stations, where investigative teams comprised of fellow compromised officers.
However, an internal investigation within the security forces unearthed the top villains, two officers and a senior detective only known as the godfather of fake and counterfeit currency.
The scammers were reportedly in cahoots with the police and would always inform them when any foreigner in pursuit of their money was travelling on tourist visas, and thus subject to arrest and deportation for conducting business while on a travel visa.
As soon as the officers were transferred from the precincts and the detective dismissed from his senior position in March 2019, Police Spokesman, Charles Owino, told the country to brace itself for numerous cases regarding fake currencies and fake gold.
Owino went on to add that the cartels were now fully exposed and they'd have nowhere to hide since their guardian angels were given the boot.
“You know the criminal fighting regime has changed. You will see more of these gold and fake cash raids by the police. That one I can guarantee,” Owino asserted back in March 2019.
There have been at least 40 arrests pertaining to fake gold and cash ever since the transfers, with the latest one involving a member of the Royal family in Dubai claiming to have been the latest victim in the Kenyan gold scam trade.
