Revealed: Tricks Thieves Use To Rob Mourners In Rich Families Attending Funerals

A new wave of crime has emerged whereby criminals target mourners attending funerals, particularly from well-off families and rob them of their valuables before slipping away and often going undetected.

Such criminals form part of a gang on the prowl that monitors death announcements involving seemingly well-to-do families who attend church in upmarket Nairobi neighbourhoods, relying on obituaries and social media posts to identify the location of the houses of the bereaved.

On the day of the memorial service, which they keep track of, they attend church just like other mourners. However, they slip away as the service is ongoing.

Mourners attending the funeral of the late marathon record holder, Kelvin Kiptum. /AL JAZEERA

The criminals then head to the targeted homes and either break in or deceive whoever they find taking care of the house, if they find one, most likely the househelp.

As the thieves have much information regarding the bereaved family, the househelp or caretaker would not suspect anything out of the usual.

Moreover, media reports indicate that the suspects avoid online transactions either when booking a taxi or paying via mobile money to meticulously cover up crimes by leaving no trail.

They do their investigations about the home and since they look presentable but don't look like young people, they easily convince house employees by pretending to be relatives before robbing the household of items when they are let into the house.

Speaking to Viral Tea, a Nairobi resident recounted one such incident whereby an unidentified woman was caught on CCTV conversing with a security guard right after she robbed a house when a family was attending a requiem mass.

The woman blended with mourners during prayers and had acquainted herself with guards before waiting for the family to attend the mass.

Posing as an aunt, she went to the house with the intent of using the washroom, where she looted the house of money and other valuables.

The resident further told Viral Tea that the woman had deceived the guard into using the washroom as an emergency as she was on her period.

"She lied to the guard that she was an aunt and had stained her clothes because she was on her period. She wanted a place with a bathroom to change, that’s why she was granted access.

"No man wants to deal with that kind of situation. As she leaves, she asks the guard whether the stains are still visible," explained the resident.

The resident is appealing to the authorities and Kenyans at large to help locate the female suspect.

Screengrab of a woman alleged to have robbed a household during a funeral requiem mass conversing with a security guard. /VIRAL TEA KE