THARAKA NITHI, Kenya, Jan 13- Police in Chuka, Tharaka Nithi County have arrested a man suspected of engaging in money laundering related activities.
The suspect, identified as Lawrence Mugendi by police, had traveled from Thika to commit the crime in Chuka.
Tharaka Nithi sub-county police commander David Ngondi told Shahid News on Wednesday that more victims are coming out to report having been conned by the suspect.
Ngondi said, the suspect and others yet to be arrested have been luring their victims into lengthy meetings in lavish hotels but mostly, ‘they do not enter the hotel, they park their car close by and hold the meeting in the car’
The scheme hatched by the suspect and his ring that got the victim roped in the scam commonly referred to as ‘wash wash’ business – a money-laundering scheme — began on social media.
The victim told police that he received a Facebook friend request from the suspect sometime in 2018 and the two maintained a distant physical friendship but a close one, on the online platform.
Towards the end of December 2020, the suspect who had told the victim that he comes from Thika said he was going to Chuka, the victim’s hometown, and even offered to bring him some gift as a friend – he brought three pineapples.
“It was then that Lawrence told the victim he was in Somalia and had stolen some Twenty Eighty Million shillings that belonged to Al Shabaab. The money had allegedly been sent to al-Shabaab as ransom,”’ the police boss narrated.
He offered to bring in someone from the central bank to verify that the money was genuine.
“Actually he brought someone whom he introduced as a friend who works for the central bank who ‘verified’ the money, but it is fake,” the Sub-County Commander said.
Lawrence told the victim that they could make more money, that with each note they can “give birth to another” but they needed cleaning chemicals.
‘So he asked the victim to take a loan to help in buying the reagents, which he did and a total of Sh170,000 was sent to the suspect,” said the sub-county commander.
After a few days, the victim says, Lawrence called back and said how he had been able to make Sh4.2 million and that they needed Sh800,000 to buy more chemicals.
“The victim sensed danger and informed our officers who in return laid a trap and we arrested him. We believe he is a big scam walking and there is another victim on the way coming here – we expect and call upon more to come out,” the police boss said.
The suspect will be arraigned on Thursday with sources saying police will be seeking time to detain the suspect as they widen the scope of an investigation they call “wide and complex.”
Money laundering schemes have been on the rise in the past decade with several suspects being nabbed in luxury apartments of Nairobi.
On February 27, 2019, police in Ruiru arrested a ‘pastor’ with Sh32.6 billion stashed in some 20 metallic boxes.
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