How Two Suspects Were Cornered Trying to Con Foreigner Ksh52M at Nairobi Hotel
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested two individuals, a Kenyan and a German national, on Monday, September 9, in Parklands, Nairobi, for orchestrating a Ksh52 million scam against a Swiss national.
According to the DCI, the suspects, were taken into custody just as they prepared to extort more money from their victims after weeks of undercover investigations.
The Swiss national, whose identity remains confidential, fell into the trap after being informed by his father about a large sum of money held in Ghana.
His father, a former expatriate in the West African nation, had sold a property 20 years ago and left the proceeds with a trustee. Desperate to retrieve the funds, the Swiss man was introduced to a Ghanaian woman in 2020, who claimed to be familiar with his father’s financial dealings.
Police officers during a patrol on a road in Kajiado County in November 2023.
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Kithure Kindiki
She assured him that USD 62.8 million (approximately Ksh8.09 billion) awaited him but would require specific processes to facilitate its transfer.
With trust in the woman, the victim set up a special company at her urging to streamline the transaction.
However, this was only the beginning of a relentless scam that would span multiple countries, including Ghana, Dubai, Tanzania, Uganda, and eventually Kenya. At each stage, the Swiss national was coaxed into parting with hefty sums of money, supposedly to cover taxes and other “facilitation fees.”
The alleged scammers had a well-coordinated network, with new faces and fabricated stories at every turn.
In November 2023, the Swiss national encountered the German suspect, posing as a key figure in the operation. The German quickly introduced him to the Kenyan suspect, who presented himself as the owner of a security company.
The Kenyan convinced the victim that his company had been hired to transport and store the consignment, which was allegedly being kept at a Nairobi airport. To access his supposed inheritance, the Swiss man was told he needed to pay additional fees for security and customs clearance.
The final blow came when he was denied access to the containers in Nairobi. In a desperate attempt to recover the money, he transferred approximately USD 400,000 (Ksh51.54 million) to the suspects. It was only after this transaction that the victim realised he had been swindled.
He reported the matter to the Kenyan Mission in Switzerland, prompting the DCI to step in.
According to DCI sources, the investigation began after receiving a referral from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. Following weeks of surveillance and information gathering, the detectives struck.
The arrests are part of a broader crackdown on transnational criminal networks targeting foreign nationals in Kenya. The DCI emphasised the complexity of the case, with operatives from several countries involved in scamming the victim over a period of three years. Detectives are currently pursuing other leads to track down accomplices in Ghana, Uganda, and Dubai.
A section of the entrance at DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road
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DCI
