Police bust city cartel minting money from Facebook bullying – PHOTOS
By STELLA CHERONOPolice in Embakasi have arrested a man suspected to be the leader of a cyber-bullying cartel.
The man identified as Peter Kamau Karogo was arrested in Buruburu by police officers from the Cybercrime Investigating Unit.
He is accused of using pseudo accounts to create insulting posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, about his target then offering the victim to investigate the culprit’s identity on his/her behalf, at a fee.
Several people who fell victim of the suspect recorded statements at Embakasi and Buruburu Police Stations.
FALSE PRETENSE
Embakasi Division Criminal Investigations Officer Peter Ndubi said the suspect was arrested for obtaining money by false pretense and that the police were still investigating him.
“We will arraign him in court immediately we complete the investigations,” Mr Ndubi said, adding that police are also trying to establish whether there were other people involved.
One of the victims of the racketi said the suspect defrauded her of Sh21, 000 and was still demanding for another Sh17, 000.
“He posted an offensive message about me on Kilimani Mums and Dads on July 14, using an account under the name ‘Karimi Wanjiku Annabel ’,” the victim told Nairobi News.
She said the suspect, in the post, accused her of being in an extramarital affair with an intern, and even went ahead to sire a baby with his.
‘KILL MY HUSBAND’
“He then alleged that I was planning to kill my husband so that I can inherit all his property and move with the younger guy to Britain!” she said.
In one of the post, the suspect said; “The story started when (victim) started dating a young intern a few years back, they got a daughter together with the intern. They are now killing the husband slowly so as to elope with the young man and the kids in Britain. If this man goes belly up, the world should know they killed him. Please Caroline don’t kill him,”.
The victim said many people called her because the suspect had even put her number on the post that went viral on social media.
“Even my picture was there,” she said.
The suspect went ahead to make several other allegations in subsequent posts, creating uproar among users who went ahead to abuse the victim.
COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY
“I did not even understand what was happening and before I could even find a solution, he appeared in a different account and offered to help, saying that he worked at the Communications Authority and that he was able to track down the person who did that,” she told Nairobi News.
She ended up sending him Sh21,000 but he claimed that he needed another Sh17,000 to facilitate police officers from CID to track down the number.
“But before I could send him the money, I reported the matter to the police,” the victim said, adding that after the suspect was arrested on Friday, police realized that several other people had recorded similar complaints at different police stations in the city.