Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested an ex-Kamiti Maximum Prison convict who conned a car seller Ksh150,000 using viral internet photos.
According to a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the con game began when the suspect, Bob Nyongesa, while posing as a white woman, approached a man selling a Mercedes Benz on an online platform.
Ryan Britney now Nyongesa had an interest in the 'German machine' whose price tag was Ksh1.4 million, and went ahead to ask Ali, the seller for photos.
"Disguised as Ryan Britney living in Narok. he called Ali, posing as a prospective buyer. He expressed willingness to buy the motor vehicle and requested for more photos of the vehicle posted on the site," a statement released by DCI on Sunday, April 10 read in part.
Excited at finding a client, the seller complied and 'Britney' was impressed by the vehicle, including the condition of its interior, atypical of Mercedes. The two agreed to meet in Nairobi where they would finalize the deal.
Unknown to Ali, he was dealing with a seasoned con artist who had served terms at Kamiti and Kodiaga maximum prisons for fraud-related offences and that he would be his next target.
On the day of the transaction, 'Britney' left Narok but was involved in a road accident. Nyongesa, made a a distress call to Ali, informing him that 'she' had been involved in a road accident and needed urgent help - she was about to be lynched after running over a herd of cattle.
"Posing as Ryan contacted the vehicle owner and told him that while on the way to Nairobi from Narok, her vehicle had hit several cows and goats belonging to Masai herdsmen, and the machete-wielding herdsmen were at the verge of lynching her if she did not compensate them at Sh150,000," the statement read in part.
To convince Ali, he sent images that had been overshared on the internet - a car whose bumper had been ripped off, with carcasses of cattle on the road.
Nyongesa asked Ali to send him Ksh150,000, promising to refund him altogether with the Ksh1.4 million for the car once she got to her bank in Nairobi. Gullible and fearful of losing a prospective client, the latter sent the money to 'save her life.'
"She appealed to Ali to send her the money and promised to refund once she accessed her bank in the capital, as she made payments for the vehicle. That was the last time Ali heard from Ryan Britney," read the statement in part.
Nyongesa turned off the phone, but the noble seller, worried about Britney, reported the matter to the police. The DCI officers launched investigations into the matter with urgency, only for them to trace the line to Ongata Rongai.
It was at this moment that Ali discovered that Ryan Britney was a man, an ex-con for that matter. Nyongesa was taken into police custody and is being held at the Langata Police station pending arraignment on Monday, April 11.
