After months of evading arrest, two suspected masterminds of a high-stakes gold scam have finally been caught.
Detectives from the Operation Support Unit (OSU) on Wednesday arrested Benson Gembe Odero and Emmulate Adhiambo Othuno, who are accused of orchestrating a multi-million-shilling scheme that targeted unsuspecting foreign investors.
The case dates back to September 2024, when two businessmen from Dubai lodged a complaint with Kenyan authorities.
They said they had been lured into the country by the promise of a deal to buy 35 kilograms of gold after several days of negotiations.
Upon landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the investors were whisked to an upscale Kilimani hotel and introduced to a well-coordinated ring of accomplices — some allegedly posing as KRA Customs officials, Ministry of Mining staff, and even private jet operators.
By the time the victims realized that it was all a scam, they had lost $54,300.
There was a thorough investigation and it led to a police raid on November 5, 2024, in Runda, Ridgeways, and the Industrial Area. Thirty-one suspects were arrested and charged but Odero and Othuno were not caught.
Their luck ran out on August 13, 2025, when OSU officers tracked them down in a targeted operation. The pair appeared at the Milimani Law Courts on August 14, where they denied the charges. The court will rule on their bond application on August 18.