Detectives attached to Directorate of Criminal Investigation(DCI) have arrested a man suspected to have defrauded a nursing home located in Nakuru County over Sh948,000 in a false shipping deal.
The 50-year-old suspect, Samuel Mwendwa Mutua, whose company trades as World Freight Logistics Limited, had in 2020 been contracted by St. Joseph’s Maternity and Nursing Home located in Nakuru Molo sub-county, to import hospital equipment procured in an expansion program.
Investigations conducted by the DCI established that having received the Sh948,200 from the hospital, the suspect neither paid the freight charges to Oceanus Intn’l Logistics (Shenzen) Co. Ltd rent to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) nor the container deposits.
“The hospital would later make their complaint at DCI’s Complaints Directorate after learning that not only had the suspect defrauded them, but also had their shipment auctioned on overstay grounds at the Embakasi ICD,” read a statement from DCI.
On November 6, 2020, the hospital paid Sh407,000 to the suspect’s company’s account for freight charges after the China-based vendor had, according to Mutua, consolidated the shipment into a 40-feet container and settled it on Oceanus Co. Ltd.
The facility then on December 8, 2020 disbursed Sh158,200 to the suspect for shipping line charges and container deposits as a clearance permit from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
It then paid him Sh383,000 on April 4, 2021 to cater for KPA rent and Sh183,000 as the World Freight Logistics agency fee.
According to the DCI, the suspect, after receiving the amount totaling Sh948,200, disappeared after making a series of false promises to deliver the goods.
Further, swift transfer forms presented by the suspect alleging to have paid USD 3275 to the China-based company as freight charges was found to be fake.”
The suspect is set to be arraigned in court to face charges of obtaining money by false pretenses and forgery/making a document without lawful authority.
