By Sharon Mwaniki
A 30-year-old man, Julius Gacheru Wangari, also known as Chris, has been arrested for defrauding high-ranking individuals by impersonating well-known journalists and show hosts.
He is currently being detained in a city police cell, awaiting to face consequences for his fraudulent activities.
Gacheru was apprehended in the Zambezi area of Kikuyu, Kiambu County, where authorities confiscated the communication devices he used for his schemes.
The DCI stated, ” Julius Gacheru Wangari alias Chris was flushed from his base at Zambezi area of Kikuyu in Kiambu County, and the communication gadgets used in the diddles seized.”
Since 2023, Wangari has been posing as Eric Latiff, a journalist and radio host at Standard Group’s Spice FM.
According to DCI, he contacted guests from Latiff’s Situation Room show, sending ‘thank you’ messages as a prelude to his scams.
Wangari targeted affluent individuals, purporting to be in dire need by claiming, “kakitu nimekwama mahali.”
Among his victims were a Principal Secretary, a prominent businessman and politician, a high-ranking director at KPLC, and an official from the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya.
They lost substantial amounts to his ploys, where he falsely claimed to be Latiff in need of financial assistance.
Upon his arrest, Wangari, who alleged to hold a journalism diploma from a reputable media institution and to have previously worked at a religious FM radio station, was found with crucial evidence.
The SIM cards used to send messages and receive money were seized and handed over to the Digital Forensic Laboratory for analysis.
“Crucial evidence including the SIM cards used to send messages to targeted victims and receive the solicited money was found on him, and have since being surrendered to the Digital Forensic Laboratory for analysis,” wrote the DCI.
The Milimani court has granted detectives at the Nairobi Regional Headquarters seven days to complete their investigation.