Two women were arrested in Nairobi’s Central Business District on suspicion of preying on desperate job seekers by selling them fake National Police Service recruitment letters.
The two were picked up on Tuesday, December 9, following a string of complaints from members of the public, some of whom realised too late they had been swindled in the busy Kencom area, where the suspects reportedly operated with confidence and ease.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the women targeted young people desperate for work, luring them with promises of “guaranteed positions” in the police service. Victims were told to part with a bribe in exchange for such a favour, with the suspects issuing what looked like official NPS calling letters.
Detectives, acting on intelligence, mounted an operation that led to the arrest of the two suspects. They also recovered Ksh 320,000, believed to be proceeds of the scheme.
Once in custody, detectives grilled the women and established connections to a broader network originating from Upper Hill. A third associate, presumed to have been collaborating with them, is said to have fled into hiding upon getting wind of the police closing in on them.
In his panic to flee, he left behind a Mazda station wagon that detectives recovered, finding two other forged NPS letters inside the car.
The discovery deepened suspicions that the three were part of a broader criminal racket targeting job seekers at a time when unemployment remains high.
Presently, the two women are in police custody and await arraignment in court, while the abandoned car has been impounded as evidence, as detectives redouble efforts to apprehend the fugitive suspect.
The arrests come against the backdrop of rising cases of recruitment-related fraud. Just a day earlier, another man- whose name closely resembled that of Deputy Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli- was charged with defrauding Kenyans of Ksh2 million in a similar fake police recruitment scam, where he allegedly promised positions to seven families.
Another suspect was charged a week earlier with extortion of Ksh2.5 million from unsuspecting job seekers on the pretext of securing slots in the NPS.
Authorities now call on the public to remain vigilant, verifying any police recruitment procedure directly through official government channels in order not to fall prey to con artists cashing in on hope and desperation.
