14 suspects arrested with fake gold, cash in police operation in Nairobi

Fourteen suspects have been arrested in a police operation against fake gold and counterfeit currency rackets in Nairobi.

Eight of the suspects were arrested Tuesday in Langata and millions of fake US Dollars and 100 kilogrammes of fake gold found in a house at the junction of Mukomaand Kiboko roads.

Among those arrested included four foreigners- a Congolese, two Tanzanians, one Nigerian and four Kenyans.

The foreigners were named as Ruhota Kabagale (Congolese), Manson Chogga Mtassi (Tanzanian), Chukunosho Francis Ogbuanu (Nigerian), Konie Kalist (Tanzania) while the Kenyans were Boniface Mtwasi, Robert Riagah, Caleb Otieno and Michael Omondi.

Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti said they also recovered Zambian Kwachas and over 100 kilograms of fake gold nuggets.

The operation came hours after six suspects were Monday arrested and 50 kilogrammes of fake gold found on them in Kilimani area, Nairobi.

The suspects include four Rwandese and two Kenyans. The fake gold was to fetch Sh75 million from a man from Dubai who wanted to buy it.

They had removed part of the consignment from their godown at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and took it to their offices on Lenana Road when police struck.

This comes less than a month after another batch of fake gold was also impounded in a safe deposit box at Barclays Bank’s Queensway branch in Nairobi. Sh2.6 billion in fake currency was also recovered from the same deposit box.

The arrest came just a few days before the suspects defrauded a prominent Nairobi businessman of about Sh100 million.

A group of Kenyans is said to have also conned a Dubai based businessman Sh500 million in such fake scheme. The matter has been reported to authorities.

Police said they were tipped the suspects were planning to sell the fake gold and started tracking one of the suspects identified as Dushimirama Egide.

Other tenants at the building said the suspects had been using the same office for the last four years but did not know the business they were involved in.

Several documents recovered from their offices showed that they had intended to sell the gold nuggets to a number of clients.

The suspects arrested with Egide included Niyitegeka Sevelin, Zilimwabagabu Jacques, and Ngaragura Emmanuel, all Rwandese and Kenyans, Grace Wairimu Macharia said to be an office assistant and Erascos Katiku Josiah.

They were expected in court where police said they wanted to continue to hold them to enable them to investigate the matter.

Kilimani police boss Michael Muchiri appealed to members of the public who might have been conned by the suspects to report to the police for action.

The fraudsters in the business have established a strong network involving rogue bank and airport officials.

This comes barely a month since DCI officers impounded Sh2 billion in fake currency at a Barclays Bank safe box in Nairobi in which four suspects were arrested among them the owner Erick Adede.

On April 10, Adede pleased not guilty and told the court that the money was genuine asking the judge to compel DCI to produce the cash.

He was, however, freed on Sh1 million cash bail and the rest of the suspects on Sh300,000.. The case will be heard on May 9.

Despite reported cases of people being defrauded hundreds of millions of shillings, a number of gold fraudsters have continued conning gullible foreigners by selling them fake gold.

Officials revealed two foreigners are in the country, on the invitation of a known gold fraudster who has promised to sell them gold.