Suspected tour agency fraudster busted for selling fake air tickets
By Joseph NdundaA suspected fraudster who allegedly received Sh230, 000 and USD 3400 from two businessmen pretending he could issue them with flight tickets was charged with obtaining money by false pretenses contrary to section 313 of the penal code.
At Makadara Law Courts, Stephen Ochieng Anindo was charged with obtaining the cash from Sadam Hussein and Farah Osman on October 4, 2022, in Eastleigh within Nairobi while purporting he could get them an air ticket to travel from Nairobi to Panama.
Mr. Anindo is accused of receiving Sh230, 000 and USD700 from Mr. Hussein and USD2700 from Mr. Osman.
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The accused person was also charged with forgery contrary to section 345 as read with section 349 of the penal code where he is accused of forging a reservation E-tickets purporting it to be issued by Valic Tours and Travel Agency to Mr. Hussein and Mr. Osman.
He is accused of committing the offence jointly with others at large at an unknown place in Kenya.
Mr. Anindo is also facing two charges of uttering a false document contrary to section 353 of the penal code after fraudulently uttering forged tickets to the two businessmen on the same date purporting them to be genuine air tickets issued by Valic Tours and Travel Agency.
He was also charged with operating a tours and travel agency without license contrary to section 98 as read with section 114 of the Tourism Act of 2011 where he is accused of operating his firm – Valic Tour and Travel Agency without a valid operating license.
Mr Hussein and Mr Osman met the accused person while looking for an agency to book tickets to travel to Panama on vacation.
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Mr Anindo who is the purported director of the company he claimed is based along Ngong road in Nairobi offered to process the air tickets for the two.
They made payments through Mpesa and cash and were promised to get the tickets within a period of six days. Mr Anindo later switched off his phone and ended the communication with the two traders.
They reported the matter at the Pangani police station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) took over investigations and traced him to an estate along Ngong road where he was arrested after investigations were concluded.
Mr Anindo denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate Eric Mutunga of Makadara Law Courts.
He was released on a bond of Sh1 million. The case will be mentioned on March 14 before hearing starts on June 14, 2023.
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