Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Saturday confirmed the arrest of a serial scammer months after he was apprehended on a different charge.
The suspect, identified as Brian, is believed to be the leader of an organised land scam cartel. He was arrested on suspicion of land fraud within the Nairobi metropolis.
One of their latest victims allegedly lost two parcels of land located around the Pumwani area.
Despite the fraud scheme getting intercepted by DCI’s Operations Support Unit detectives, the victim had already lost Ksh553,000 in the scam.
DCI Headquarters, Kiambu Road, Nairobi.
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DCI
The cartel’s mode of operation to scam unsuspecting Kenyans involves issuing fake land documents, mostly leases. The scammers typically sell fake credentials by purporting to work at the Nairobi County Lands Registry.
Their main target is individuals who own underdeveloped parcels of land. After an initial meeting, the fraudsters convince the individual with profitable terms for the development of the land.
“More often than not, the agreement will require the land owner to obtain certificates of lease, which has become the soft spot for the fraudsters,” the DCI revealed in a statement.
According to the DCI, the suspect went into hiding in a house on Katulo Road in Buruburu after detectives nabbed one of his accomplices on December 2. Detectives eventually zeroed in on him and nabbed him at his hideout on Saturday.
Incidentally, this is not the first time Brian is on the DCI’s radar on suspicions of fraud. In January 2024, he was arrested alongside five others for allegedly conspiring to defraud a foreigner of gold worth Ksh2.85 billion.
Among the suspects was a Congolese national involved in the conspiracy on diverse dates between December 19 and December 27, 2023, at an unnamed place in Nairobi county.
The mastermind was eventually released on a Ksh1 million bond, but the case is still at the Milimani Law Courts.
A signpost showing a parcel of land.
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Capital
