By Lauryne Akoth
The Operations Support Unit (OSU) of the DCI has apprehended the prime suspect in a Kshs 151 million mineral scam.
The suspect was arrested moments after he arrived from Entebbe, Uganda.
One Ulundu Patrick Lumumba Alias Gabriel Kulonda aka Lumumba Patrick Byarufu was implicated in the matter when a female Chinese national raised alarm after being duped into purchasing the fake minerals estimated at Kshs 151M that turned out to be sand.
A shipment of three containers declared to be carrying the tantalum minerals was shipped to China upon purchase by the victim of the treachery, only for one container to be opened in China and found loaded with sand instead.
This triggered a series of investigations at the Mombasa port which was used as the transit route for the shipment. DCI officials intercepted two 20 ft containers filled with sand, declared as Tantalum minerals.
The OSU team captured the suspect along Harambee Avenue in Nairobi shortly after evading detection by immigration officials at JKIA, where a Stop Order had been issued for his passport, number OPO256544 in the name of Gabriel Kulonda Ilungu.
Intent on reentering the country to continue his unlawful endeavors, the suspect utilized a Ugandan Interstate pass card with the number 020841009 under the alias Lumumba Patrick Byarufu. Upon apprehension, he was also in possession of another Congolese Passport bearing the number OPO792312, registered under the name Patrick Ulundu Lumumba.
Further investigations at the port of Mombasa led to the interception of a third container, 40ft, at a warehouse at the port.
Unexpectedly, the 40ft container had completed all verification procedures without any accompanying documentation. This brought the total number of containers filled with sand falsely declared as tantalum minerals to six.
Investigators have now revealed that an additional two containers have already been cleared and sent to Dubai. Efforts are currently underway to intercept them. Some port officials believed to have compromised security checks to facilitate the illegal transactions are also being investigated.
Thanks to the swift intervention of OSU hawkshaws, the scammers’ ring was thwarted, preventing them from fully benefiting from their fraudulent activities.
Their plan was disrupted when the bank account holding Kshs 151 million was frozen. Despite this, the syndicate managed to acquire more than Sh49 million with the assistance of suspected rogue bank officials, who are currently being investigated.
Even as investigations regarding the fake consignment continue, a court battle between OSU detectives and influential members of the scamming ring is underway, as they fight to have the intercepted millions wired to accounts recently opened with a local bank.
The suspect was arraigned this morning at Milimani Law Courts.