Detectives attached to the special Serious Crime Unit at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a Kenyan mastermind in Sh200million fake gold involving an Indian investor.
Hezbon Nyabola was arrested after Malian Sanjay, an Indian businessman based in Mumbai, India reported the matter after his consignment was allegedly delayed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) enroute to Mumbai.
Sanjay told detectives that he paid $1,780,000(Sh196million) to Cavalho Lopes, a Guinea Bissau national who it has since been established is a fraudster in pretext he would sell him 44.45 kilograms of gold.
According to investigations findings, the gold was to be shipped from Guinea Bissau through Kigali, Rwanda before being loaded on a plane to India via the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
When Sanjay became suspicious he has been scammed and reported the matter, the sleuths moved in and recovered the consignment at JKIA.
However upon inspection, what was supposed to be gold worth over Sh190 million was discovered to be river bed pebbles, neatly arranged in a box.
“Once the complainant received confirmation from Lopes, that the shipment was on transit to Nairobi, he received a call from a person purporting to be from Kenya Revenue Authority a few days after. The caller identified as Hezbon Nyabola, informed him that his consignment, Airway Bill No706-27720626 had been detained at JKIA for non-payment of customs duty. As a result, Sanjay sent him, a further $26,700 to clear the consignment and facilitate its shipment.” The DCI said.
Nyabola has since been placed in custody, pending arraignment in court for obtaining money by false pretenses.
