An Indian tycoon, Malian Sanjay, has lost Ksh200 million to a well-organized gold con scheme orchestrated by Nairobi conmen.
While confirming the incident on Wednesday 15, 2021, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) stated that the gold scheme was a well-thought-out plan involving conmen from other countries.
The DCI announced that Sanjay was approached by a Guinea-based fraudster who had offered to sell him 44.45 kgs of gold.
After being approached, the Asian paid a total of Ksh195 million ($1,780,000) for the gold to be shipped from Guinea Bissau and flown to India through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The foreign tycoon then received a call from a Kenyan who posed as a government official asking for Ksh3 million ($26,700) in order to release the consignment.
Sanjay was informed that the consignment was withheld for failure to pay customs duty. He then paid the requested amount.
After failing to receive the consignment, Sanjay sought the help of detectives at the DCI in suspicion that he had been conned.
“Sanjay became suspicious and sought the assistance of our detectives, who immediately moved in and recovered the consignment at JKIA,” the DCI stated.
The DCI further stated that upon recovering the consignment at JKIA, they discovered that the box was full of pebble stones.
“However, upon inspection, what was supposed to be gold worth over Sh190 million was discovered to be river bed pebbles, neatly arranged in a box,” the DCI stated.
The sleuths confirmed that they had nabbed a Kenyan conman in connection to the con.
The conman allegedly received Ksh2 million after he pretended to be a government official. He is expected to lead the detectives to his accomplice who posed as a West African gold dealer.
“The man has since been placed in custody, pending arraignment in court, for obtaining money by false pretences,” the DCI stated.
