Police have arrested five suspects in connection with a robbery with violence incident in Nairobi’s Runda area entailing a Ksh13.5 million fake gold scam.
The five, Jack Ouma Okwiri, Nashon Otieno Angudha, Felix Ochieng’ Nyongesa, Ronald Arani Kirera and 21-year-old Grace Akinyi are accused of luring an Australian man and his Ugandan wife to the country with the intent of defrauding them through fake gold scam.
“In the case that might see the four and others still on the loose face charges of robbery with violence, attempted rape and kidnapping, an Australian man and his Ugandan wife were lured into the country from Uganda by their to-be attackers, for a gold business deal in Nairobi,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stated.
According to the police, an intermediary who identified himself as ‘Raymond from England’ had days earlier connected the couple with Nyongesa, who posed as the seller.
Police say after a series of WhatsApp conversations, Nyongesa asked the couple to meet him at Village Market in Gigiri, Nairobi on October 28, 2023, where they were to do the business.
“Once at the agreed venue, Felix sent a driver who picked them up in a Toyota Prado and drove them to the office setting building along Glory Road in Runda, where more than 10 men lay in wait. On arrival at their snare, gears shifted fast from the initial VIP treatment to a rough-up that subdued them, with the man suffering hefty blows and strangulation that left his wife begging for their lives. She was not spared either as the gang handcuffed and slapped her repeatedly as they touched her inappropriately,” DCI added.
In the scuffle, the couple lost over USD90,000 (Ksh13.6 million), entailing the $60,000 (Ksh9.1 million) they had carried in cash and jewellery valued at over $30,000 (Ksh4.5 million).
The couple was then hurled back to the vehicle and driven to Nairobi’s central business district where they were dumped near Rehema House, according to the police.
“Good Samaritans helped them to a South B hospital where they were treated before reporting to DCI Gigiri,” the statement added.
Items recovered in the fake gold scam swoop
Police have also recovered money counting machines, metallic boxes, forged certificates of mines, customs reflector jackets, military boots, KRA certificates, stamps, a Kenyan flag and fake gold from the Runda office.
“As further investigations continue, the DCI warns of an upsurge in gold scams and similar frauds, cautioning venturing parties of the existence of well-organized criminal rings that are yet to be repressed,” DCI added.
