A police officer accused of defrauding traders off their hard-earned money in Kakamega County was arrested on Monday, October 4.
The officer, who is attached to the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU) Regional Command in Western, allegedly asked a money mobile service provider to deposit Ksh5,000 in his phone.
Soon after the money was deposited in his mobile money account, the police officer left but promised the trader that he would bring the cash at 6pm the same day only to fail to meet his end of the bargain and went ahead to switch off his phone.
Unfazed by his actions, the police officer would go back to the shop the following day, this time in civilian clothes. He requested to deposit a further Ksh2,800 before the trader identified him and contacted the police.
A police report seen by Kenyans.co.ke indicate that it took the intervention of the boda boda riders to get hold of the officer before he could vanish.
While in custody of the boda boda riders, another businessman from Sigalagala market noticed him and lodged a complaint saying that the law enforcement officer had played the same trick on him on September 21.
The trader reported that the suspect, donning his official police uniform, had asked him to deposit Ksh2,800 to his mobile money account, only to disappear after the transaction was completed.
The officer has been placed under police custody pending further investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Kakamega South Sub County branch.
According to a report released in February 2021, majority of police officers are said to crumble under social, financial and workplace pressures.
Some of the causes of stress among officers include stagnation in rank, disciplinary actions arising from desertion and inadequate monitoring of junior officers living outside police lines.
