Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have arrested a woman believed to be behind a fake gold deal that conned an American investor out of more than KSh55 million.
In a statement released on Sunday, the DCI said the suspect was arrested by officers attached to the Nairobi Regional Headquarters after investigations into a fraudulent gold deal involving hundreds of kilograms of fake gold.
According to detectives, the American national had travelled to Nairobi after holding a series of negotiations with people who presented themselves as genuine gold dealers.
The trader claimed that he had been promised an amount of 400 kilograms of gold bars under the terms of this seemingly legal agreement.
It is reported that the fraudsters went ahead to forge agreements and other documents to make the arrangement legal and convincing for the investor. The investor, thinking that the arrangement was real, paid USDT 431,380 which equates to KSh 55.7 million to the suspects.
Police said the investor expected the gold shipment to be delivered as agreed, but things quickly changed after the money was sent.
“The suspects went silent and stopped responding to communication from the complainant,” the DCI said.
Realising that he had likely fallen into a well-planned scam, the investor reported the matter to the DCI, prompting detectives to launch investigations.
By following the forensic clues collected during the investigation, the officers were able to trace one of the suspects in the area of Crystal Villas in Kilimani, arresting her during the operation carried out by detectives.
Nonetheless, according to police statements, another suspect was able to escape during the raid, leaving behind a car which has been confiscated as part of the investigations. The car has been towed to the Nairobi Regional Headquarters parking.
Meanwhile, the arrested woman is now under the custody of the police, who are expected to bring her to court pending further investigation to find the second suspect in the syndicate of fake gold.
Scams involving fake gold have been on the rise in Kenya in recent times, as the fraudsters target local and international investors through falsified documentation, renting offices, and meeting the victims to create credibility. It has been urged several times that investors should validate dealers before making any monetary transactions.
