A section of Kenyans uncovered inconsistencies in police statements regarding millions of shillings and marijuana seized in a drug burst in a slum within Ngara, Nairobi.
Particularly perplexing to Kenyans was the disparity between the accounts provided by the National Police Service (NPS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) regarding the total amount of money confiscated in the Tuesday, August 15 operation.
According to the NPS, which was the first to report the raid on its social media pages, Ksh12,975,000 was recovered hidden inside sacks.
Conversely, the DCI, which published a subsequent report, claimed that the amount seized was Ksh13.4 million. The difference amounts to approximately Ksh425,000, a disparity yet to be accounted for by both the NPS and the DCI.
The DCI, headed by Director General Amin Mohamed, is an investigative agency under the National Police Service (NPS) led by Inspector General of the Police Japhet Koome.
Other Points to Note
From the photos shared by DCI after the raid, the money, consisting of Ksh1,000 notes, was tallied using a money counter machine synonymous with financial institutions such as banks.
The NPS, however, did not provide specific details on how it counted the money. Nonetheless, both agencies indicated that the money was stashed in two sacks in one of the houses.
"What has happened to the remaining money? Where did it go?" one hawk-eyed and concerned Kenyan responded to the NPS statement on Twitter.
"Where has 0.5m gone in just a matter of hours?" a social media user with the pseudonym Nester posed.
During the raid, police also recovered 26 bags of cannabis, four cartons of rolling materials, 173 packaged sweets and a carton of suspected weed cookies.
"173 pieces of suspected blended drug/bhang, 42 cartons each containing 200 pieces of cigarettes were also recovered. The case is under investigation by the DCI Anti-Narcotics Unit," NPS added.
According to security agencies, the primary suspect is a woman in her 50s, who was arrested alongside three other minors believed to be part of the group.
After a thorough interrogation, the four will be arraigned in court today and may face up to 10 years in jail or a fine of up to Ksh250,0000.
Exhibit in Court
Detectives will seal the money, either Ksh12 million or Ksh13 million, in an evidence bag labelled with key details such as the case number, date of seizure and suspect's identity before presenting it in court.
Before that, the detectives will conduct forensic investigations on the cash to collect more evidence, such as fingerprints and DNA, and ascertain whether the money is legit or counterfeit.
The money will also be stored at a police laboratory or cells with all officers, from the lead detective to the highest ranking officer and prosecution accounting for it in what police refer to as chain of custody.
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