Detectives from Kamukunji have arrested a 38-year-old woman accused of orchestrating an elaborate scam that defrauded a Chinese businessman of over USD 101,000 (approx. Ksh13.3 million).
The suspect, Harriet Mary Wabwire, is accused of posing as the Director of a fictitious firm named OTD Group Limited, under the pretense of supplying aluminium alloys to a buyer in Ningbo, China.
According to investigators, Wabwire presented the victim with convincingly forged documents — including a bill of lading and a Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) certificate of conformity — claiming that 23,890 kilograms of aluminium alloys had been packed into a 40-foot container ready for shipment from the port of Mombasa.
The victim, believing the deal to be legitimate, wired USD 101,000 to Wabwire’s bank account. She then switched off her phone and disappeared, cutting off all communication.
For weeks, her whereabouts remained unknown until detectives, using forensic intelligence and surveillance, tracked her to a hideout in Tassia, Nairobi. She was arrested and taken into custody without incident.
Police say Wabwire is undergoing formal processing and will soon be arraigned in court on charges related to obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, and impersonation.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has urged the public to remain vigilant when engaging in high-value transactions, especially with unfamiliar suppliers, and to verify documentation through official channels.
