The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a manhunt for a leader of a scamming racket in Nairobi that has been ripping off gullible Kenyans abroad of their money in the pretext of securing lucrative businesses.
Police sources say the key suspect, a business woman who hails from Kirinyaga county and who has gone into hiding, is reportedly working in cahoots with other persons presenting themselves as business people who take money from investors promising good returns.
According to police the scammers trick Kenyans abroad to enter into a business agreement then after depositing money they vanish into thin air.
One of the victims living in the UK who has since reported the matter at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) police station in Nairobi, narrated how he entered into a partnership with the suspect and another man for supply of fish feeds from Siavonga in Zambia to Jinja in Uganda.
“It was a great opportunity for us to make money when we crafted the deal to import fish feeds with two other partners. The agreement was done in the presence of a lawyer who signed as a witness,” said the investor who sought anonymity
He said that they had agreed that each of the three parties should contribute Sh1,1700,000 making a total of Sh 3,510,000.
“The advocate had informed us that all partners should be present but I was not present since I was abroad and my two other partners were in the country and requested the advocate to be my witness of the agreement,” he said.
He said that after a long discussion on the effectiveness and viability of the partnership, it was agreed the woman now on the run was to make the trips to Zambia and Uganda to oversee the business and then deposit Sh1,900,000 as profit which was to be divided equally among the three partners.
“She managed to convince us that she has the contacts and knows the business and would be better placed to make the trips to facilitate the trade. She had told us the profits would be Sh 1.9 million per transaction and we would share it equally. We were excited and immediately agreed on it,” he said.
According to a witness statement by Noel Odiwour, the advocate who witnessed the signing of the agreement, his client had informed him that the woman suspect went quiet on them after making two trips.
“My client called me and informed me that indeed the woman had undertaken the business operations, completed two trips but had gone quiet with regard to the status of the sales made which is a breach of the partnership deed,” read part of the agreement.
Investigators have since visited the suspect’s rural home in Kirinyaga and found her family members who informed them that they have not heard from the suspect for a while as her phone was switched off.
The incident comes against the backdrop of another racket involving 36 year old self proclaimed businesswoman Pascaline Peter also known as Passy Ma Trevover who was at the center of scamming investors of large sums of money.
She has been charged at Makadara law courts with obtaining Sh 80 million from 79 individuals through false pretences.
According to the police, the woman who operated a shylock scheme identified as Pafrim Investment Limited took money from investors, promising a 30 per cent return.
Initially, everything seemed to be running smoothly with regular interest payments, but things quickly took a turn for the worse as payments became delayed and eventually stopped altogether.
KenyanHour 