Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Monday, March 6, nabbed the leader of a fake firearm licensing syndicate.
In a report filed by the DCI, the officers from the Transnational Organized Crime arrested the suspect at his Matungulu home, Machakos County, following intelligence reports.
The middle-aged man was found in possession of documentation including a fake job identification card.
"Detectives busted him in possession of assorted fake FLB documents and rubber stamps, a seal from the Central Firearms Bureau and four civilian firearm certificates," the report read in part.
In addition, they recovered forged letters purported to be from the Nairobi region police command and psychiatrist reports from Mathari Referral Hospital.
These are some of the must-have documents for individuals applying to be licenced as legal firearm holders. Officers placed him under custody at the Muthaiga Police Station.
However, this was not the first time the suspect was apprehended as he was out on a Ksh500,000 bond in a different case where he was accused of stealing a firearm.
"He hoodwinked a Kajiado youth into believing that he could transfer the certificate of his late father's firearm into his (the young man's) name, before subjecting the unsuspecting victim to endless paperwork that culminated in the theft of the firearm," the police report read in part.
The suspect posed as a highly-placed official of the Firearms Licensing Board (FLB) with the ability to expedite the process of the license application.
Notably, he targeted individuals whom he knew were in a hurry to get their applications to legally own firearms approved.
"He recklessly provided fake certificates to anyone as long as good money changes hands and renewed certificates periodically at Ksh6,000," DCI wrote.
The Kahawa Law Courts granted the detectives' request to hold him for seven days to allow them to conduct investigations.
