By Dorothy Musyoka
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Starehe have apprehended a notorious fraudster linked to multiple cases of theft and swindling.
According to the DCI,Charles Kuria Kamau, a 30-year-old resident of Hilton Estate in Ruiru, was arrested after an intensive manhunt following a theft reported on January 3.
During the operation at Kamau’s residence, police recovered a trove of incriminating items, including 96 original Kenya national ID cards belonging to various individuals, 10 dummy foldable Samsung phones, and several sim card plates.
The suspect’s elaborate scheme involved using the stolen Ids to register multiple Jiji accounts.
Posing as a legitimate seller, Kamau lured unsuspecting buyers with promises of genuine foldable Samsung phones, only to swap them with the dummies upon transaction.
“On interrogation, detectives established that the suspect has been using the national Ids to register multiple Jiji accounts, which he then uses to swindle unsuspecting Kenyans by pretending to be in a position to sell them genuine foldable Samsung phones, only to swap them with the dummies,” explained the DCI.
The victims, realizing the deception too late, found themselves chasing leads that ended with innocent individuals whose Ids were used in the fraudulent registrations.
“By the time victims realize they’ve been conned and report to the police, Kuria’s tracks are far from any criminality as investigations lead to the bearers of the lost or stolen Ids used in the registration,” added the detectives.
Currently detained at Ruaraka Police Station, Kamau faces multiple charges as DCI Starehe continues to unravel the full extent of his operations.
Authorities urge any additional victims of Kamau’s scheme to come forward and record their statements to aid in the ongoing investigation.