Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a person of interest in connection with a conspiracy to defraud a Nigerian man 150 million Naira (Ksh12 million).
In a statement on Friday, January 24, 2025, DCI said that the person of interest, Stephen Mugambi Colbert, together with his collaborators, told the Nigerian that they were in a position to hire a private jet to transport unspecified investments funds from Kenya to Nigeria.
“Hawkshaws drawn from DCI Headquarters have arrested Stephen Mugambi Colbert who earlier this month and with others who are yet to be arrested conspired to defraud a Nigerian national a sum of 150 million Naira. While presenting themselves as genuine businessmen, Mugambi and his cabal of malefactors approached the victim pretending that they were in a position to hire a private jet to transport unspecified investment funds from Kenya to Nigeria, a fact they knew to be false,” DCI stated.
Ghosting Nigerian
DCI says that after the Nigerian the amount (Ksh12 million), the persons of interest went missing and switched off their phones.
“Unbeknownst of the foul play, the victim made the payment amounting to 150 million naira only to realize later that he had been played when he could no longer reach Stephen or his cabal of friends in crime. Having burnt his fingers, the foreign national approached the DCI seeking for help where a manhunt for the snake oil merchants was launched leading to the arrest of Mugambi,” DCI added.
The sleuths say they are pursuing other persons of interest, who are said to have escaped a dragnet to arrest them.
“The DCI strongly warns that no efforts will be spared in dealing with such fraudsters. Further, we caution members of the public to do their due diligence in establishing the credibility of such businesses to avoid losing their hard-earned money. Additionally, the public is also cautioned of an emerging trend where fraudsters have been found to be using cryptocurrency as a means of exchange outside the formal financial system in a bid to evade detection,” DCI added.
