DCI: How 8 Suspects Conned Two Foreigners USD 439 Trillion
The detectives shed light on the planned fraud scheme in which the foreigners were contacted via WhatsApp regarding a consignment of 40 pallets held at a customs warehouse.
Marvin Chege 
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)'s Operations Support Unit have arrested eight suspects linked to a USD 439 trillion mega fraud scheme targeting two foreign businessmen from the Netherlands.
DCI revealed in a statement on Wednesday, November 15 that the suspects were arrested following an ongoing operation mounted at a warehouse in Nairobi.
During the operation, several boxes stashed with fake US dollars, suspected stolen jungle fatigues for Administration Police (AP) officers, military boots, and customs reflector jackets among other recoveries were seized.
Four of the eight suspects arrested by DCI detectives on November 15, 2023. /DCI
The detectives shed light on the planned fraud scheme in which the foreigners were contacted via WhatsApp regarding a consignment of 40 pallets held at a customs warehouse.
"In this orchestrated fraudulent scheme, the foreigners were contacted through a WhatsApp call by a number registered in the name 'Canopy Shield Agencies', by a caller who informed them that their consignment of 40 pallets had been held at the Kenya Customs Warehouse pending duty fee payment of USD 36,000 (Ksh5.5 million).
"Allegedly, the complainants had entered into a cash-on-transit deal involving Ksh439 trillion destined for Dubai from the Central Bank of Togo," stated the DCI.
The caller who posed as a customs officer convinced the complainants that the first batch of 40 pallets contained USD 4 billion (Ksh608.8 billion) and that they were being flown through Kenya to facilitate their clearance and smooth entry to Dubai.
Booking a flight to the country, the foreign nationals landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) hoping to clear the required duty fee at once.
"Unbeknownst to the fraudsters, detectives had got wind of the ongoings, a contact person led the two foreigners at the warehouse where the purported consignment was being held," added the DCI.
As the eight suspects got busy around the warehouse convincing their targets to part with the Ksh5.5 million, the operations team stormed the premises and arrested them.
Moses Otieno, Peter Aura, Brian Waweru, John Kalombo, Peter Kisanya, Noah Ouma, Charity Njeri and Mercy Cheptoo were all cornered and led away into police cells.
DCI revealed that the operation is currently ongoing with the two foreign nationals being investigatively interviewed to shed light on the business deal in question.
