Details On Most Wanted Suspect Conning 34 Kenyans Ksh16.4M

An intelligence report showed that he had closed his mobile money shop in Kisii and switched off his phones while fleeing to Nairobi...

Details On Most Wanted Suspect Conning 34 Kenyans Ksh16.4M
The notorious fraudster arrested by police at Wilson Airport on January 17, 2023. /NPS

Abdiqafar Abdirashid Abey, a notorious fraudster suspected of conning Kenyans millions of shillings, was on Wednesday, January 18 arraigned at the Kisii Law Courts.

Abey was arrested at Wilson Airport while waiting to catch a flight to Elwak, a town in Kenya, on the International border with Somalia and arraigned for obtaining Ksh16.4 million by false pretences.

He was further accused of defrauding 34 people in Kisii County on diverse dates from January 2021 to January 2023 under the guise that he had imported rice from Tanzania.

Aerial view of Wilson Airport in Nairobi. /NAIROBI NEWS

An intelligence report showed that he had closed his mobile money shop in Kisii and switched off his phones while fleeing to Nairobi where he was eventually spotted.

While presenting him in court, Nyanchwa police station Investigation Officer Thomas Mutegi revealed that several complaints were filed at Nyanchwa police station of being defrauded by Abey.

A search was mounted and Abdirashid was spotted at the airport where he had booked flight 5Y-FAR with Freedom Airline Express, based in Kenya and Somalia. A signal was made and the aircraft was intercepted, a matter that led to his arrest and transfer to Kisii.

Mutegi filed an application to detain Abey for seven days at Nyanchwa police station pending investigations and asked the court to allow the application with the merit it deserves.

He warned that the suspect is of high flight risk after it was proved that he was travelling to a highly volatile area which borders Somalia.

Abey's lawyer Steve Okemwa opposed the application on grounds that he has been a businessman in Kisii town for many years and known by a number of victims of which he gained their trust.

He further argued that his client was using the means of transport within his reach and that he was not escaping from the victims.

The court ruled against detaining Abey for seven days amidst sufficient evidence to charge him in court. He was detained at Nyanchwa police station and will be charged on Thursday, January 19.

The arrest on Tuesday, January 17 came after three notorious suspects were arrested over the weekend by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives for obtaining money from unsuspecting members of the public, by operating fictitious online platforms purporting to sell goods.

Abdiqafar Abdirashid Abey appearing before Kisii Law Courts on January 18, 2023, for allegedly defrauding public money. /VIRALTEAKE.ELIZABETH ANGIRA