City Affairs

Suspect in Sh151 million scam arrested in Nairobi CBD after evading JKIA trap

A file photo of the main entrance to the headquarters of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kiambu County. (Photo: X/ DCI)

By Lucy Mumbi | Friday, April 5, 2024

The Congolese citizen, who had arrived from Entebbe, Uganda, attempted to enter the country illegally.

Detectives have apprehended a prime suspect in connection to a Sh151 million scam involving containers falsely declared to contain valuable Tantalum minerals.

The suspect, a Congolese citizen, was arrested on Thursday by the Operations Support Unit (OSU) after a female Chinese national complained that she had received soil instead of the said minerals.

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Police trailed the suspect to Harambee Avenue in Nairobi after he evaded detection by immigration officials at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) where a stop order had been issued for his passport.

Police added that the Congolese citizen, who had arrived from Entebbe, Uganda, attempted to enter the country illegally.

“Determined to sneak back into the country and further his felonious activities, the suspect used a Ugandan Interstate pass card and upon arrest was also found in possession of yet another Congolese Passport,” the DCI stated.

His victim, the Chinese citizen, is said to have deposited the Sh151 million, only for one of three containers which were shipped to China to be found loaded with soil instead of the said minerals.

This initiated a long chase, leading detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to intercept the consignment at the Mombasa container terminal (MCT).

One of the two 20ft containers also containing sand seized by DCI detectives at Mombasa Port on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (Photo: DCI)

The officers believed the two containers were about to be shipped to China as well. Detectives also ascertained that already two more containers had been cleared and shipped to Dubai, but efforts are underway to have them intercepted.

Port officials believed to have compromised security checks to facilitate the illegal transactions are also under investigation.

“In the preliminary stages, two 20ft containers also containing sand had been found at the Mombasa Port, before hawk-eyed sleuths intercepted a third one (40ft) at a warehouse still at the port. Surprisingly, the 40ft container had passed the entire verification process without any documentation. This totalled to six, the number of containers of sand declared as tantalum minerals,’ the DCI disclosed.

Police also added that the bank account in which the Sh151 million was deposited was frozen, but the suspect had already obtained over Sh49 million by working with suspected rogue bank officials who were taken in for questioning.

Further, a legal battle has ensued with detectives seeking to prevent influential members of the syndicate from accessing the frozen millions.

“Even as investigations regarding the fake consignment continue, a court battle between OSU detectives and influential members of the scamming ring is underway, as they fight to have the intercepted millions wired to accounts recently opened with a local bank,” DCI detailed.

The suspect will be arraigned on April 5, 2024, at Milimani Law Courts.