Detectives have arrested two men accused of defrauding an American businesswoman of Sh720 million (USD 5.6 million) in a fake gold deal.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects — Michael Otieno Onyango and Andrew Clifford Otieno — lured the foreigner into a deal promising 70 kilograms of gold.
The woman, however, became suspicious and insisted that the gold be tested and verified by the Ministry of Mining before any transaction could proceed. The suspects initially agreed, but their plan fell apart when they failed to appear for the scheduled test.
In a follow-up meeting, the businesswoman was picked up from Yaya Centre by one of the suspects’ associates, who claimed they were going for coffee. Instead, she was driven to Rose Villa Estate, where the two suspects were waiting.
During the meeting, the suspects tried to convince her to finalize the fake deal, but she refused. Realizing their plan had failed, the suspects attempted to flee in a blue Mazda CX-7.
Detectives pursued and intercepted the vehicle, arresting both men. They were then escorted back to House 27 at Rose Villa Estate, where a search revealed two smelting machines and 19 smelting moulds used in the fraudulent operation.
“Both suspects have been taken into custody and are now being processed pending arraignment,” DCI said in a statement.
