Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) oficers on Monday morning arrested 15 suspects allegedly to be leading a fake gold syndicate in the country.
Kileleshwa – Kaputei Gardens.
Fake gold syndicate.
There were GSU guarding the entrance. pic.twitter.com/nMXX9RrTIx— Bruce (@ngwata_) May 13, 2019
According to the DCI, The suspects were nabbed in a rented stand-alone house on Kaputei road in Valley Arcade, Nairobi, where fake gold was also discovered.
The consignment bearing Ghanian custom papers was stuffed in metallic boxes and their weight had been altered using cement.
Eight vehicles belonging to the suspects bearing fake number plates were also seized during the raid.
They include: Two Toyota Axios, Two Mercedes Benz, One Toyota Crown, One Honda Insight, One Toyota Prado Tx, and one Subaru Outback.
A senator, three politicians and at least three lawyers are suspected to be colluding with gold fraudsters to con unsuspecting foreigners of billions of shillings by selling them fake gold.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss George Kinoti has formed a special team to investigate the scam and warned foreigners to consult the police and the Department of Geology whenever they intend to purchase gold.
“The gold scam has now reached alarming levels as unsuspecting foreigners are being swindled large amounts of money by fraudsters,” he said.
Recently, the Vice President and Prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wrote to the Government of Kenya to protest against the scam and demanded action.
Kinoti said the fraudsters had even leased premises at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and were using unscrupulous government officials to facilitate their movements at the airports and government offices.
.In a statement on Friday, DCI boss George Kinoti has urged foreign Embassies and High Commissions to alert their nationals coming to Kenya for gold business.
Kinoti says unsuspecting foreign nationals have lost millions of shillings to gold scammers in the recent weeks.
#FraudAlert!!🚨 #DCI attention has been drawn to an upsurge in criminal cases involving the procurement & sale of #Gold in the country.
The Gold Scam has now reached alarming levels as unsuspecting foreign nationals are being swindled large amounts of money by the Fraudsters.
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 9, 2019
Kinoti has urged foreigners to first contact the Department of Mines and Geology for guidelines regarding buying and selling of gold and other valuable metals.
“They are to be apprised of the Con business of gold going on in the country,” Kinoti says.
Last month, detectives arrested six suspects with 50 kilograms of fake gold in Nairobi’s Kilimani area.
The suspects were identified as Grace Wairimu Machatha, Erascos Katiku Josiah, Niyitegeka Sevelin, Dushimiriman Egide, Zilimwabagabu Jacrues, and Ngaragura Emmanuel.
14 other suspects were also recently arrested in a crackdown against fake gold and counterfeit currency rackets in the capital.
The suspects, who were arrested in a house in Langata, were in possession of 100 kilos of fake gold and millions of counterfeit United States dollars.