Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a 38-year-old woman accused of defrauding a Chinese national of $101,000 (approximately Sh13,049,200) in a fraudulent aluminium trade deal.
The suspect, identified as Harriet Mary Wabwire, allegedly posed as the Director of a fictitious company named OTD Group Limited and convinced the unsuspecting foreign investor that she could supply nearly 24 tonnes of aluminium alloys for export to China.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the DCI revealed that Wabwire provided the victim with a forged Bill of Lading (BOL) and a counterfeit Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) certificate of conformity to give the deal an air of legitimacy.
“These documents falsely asserted that a consignment of 23,890 kilograms of aluminium alloys had been securely packed in a 40-foot container, ready for shipment from the port of Mombasa to Ningbo, China,” said the DCI.
Shortly after receiving the payment, Wabwire reportedly switched off her phone and went into hiding, triggering an immediate investigation after the victim filed a report with authorities.
A manhunt led detectives to her hideout in Tassia, located in Nairobi’s Embakasi East Sub-County, where she was apprehended.
Wabwire is currently in police custody and is expected to be arraigned in court to face charges related to fraud, forgery, and obtaining money by false pretenses.
The DCI has urged foreign investors and local traders alike to exercise caution and carry out due diligence before engaging in high-value transactions, particularly with unfamiliar entities or individuals.
Investigations into the case are ongoing.
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