DCI probes fraud at Makadara Law Courts
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is holding five people – including three women – arrested at the Makadara Law Courts on July 31, 2023, where they are suspected to have been involved in fraudulent activities.
The five include Ms Nancy Wambui who had been banned from setting foot at the court several years ago by Justice Heston Nyaga of Nakuru High Court who was then in charge of the Makadara Law Courts.
Ms Wambui is held alongside Ms Margaret Njeri who was on June 12, 2023, charged with obtaining money by false pretenses contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code at the same court.
Ms Njeri had spent more than a month at the Langata Women’s Prison where she was remanded after denying the charges.
She was in court on Monday for a mention of the case when she spotted Ms Wambui who had allegedly obtained Sh85, 000 from her husband claiming she could help him secure her release.
Others in custody are Molo based pastor Joseph Waweru and Ruiru businessman Stephen Mburu who were allegedly found with release orders for Ms Njeri’s accomplice Daniel Mucheru.
Mr Mucheru, a suspected serial fraudster who has a total of six pending cases in Makadara, Milimani and Ruiru law courts, is already out on bond, raising suspicion on the authenticity of the release orders the two men were found in possession of.
Mr Waweru and Mr Mburu were reportedly found with release orders for cases – 3415/2023 and number 3419/2023 where Mr Mucheru is the suspect, under unclear circumstances.
And Corporal Josephat Wafula of Burburu DCI offices who is investigating the matter said the same documents are yet to be verified.
But the two suspects told the court that they had come to withdraw their surety for Mr Mucheru after they learnt he had been released in circumstances they did not know while they were still holding his release orders.
The two men claimed they had deposited their title deeds to stand surety for Mr Mucheru but learnt that he had already been set free on July 12 before they completed processing bond for him.
This prompted them to appear in court on Monday to withdraw their surety before they were arrested.
Ms Wambui was the first to be picked up after Ms Njeri informed the police that she had conned her husband pretending she could help in securing her release when she was still in remand.
Ms Njeri’s husband Simon Gitundu has launched a complaint with police against Ms Wambui.
The last suspect is Ms Phyllis Nyaaga who was found in the company of Ms Wambui. and the two are accused of having been obtaining money from victims falsely pretending they can secure their release.
They are alleged to have obtained Sh500, 000 from Mr Mucheru’s wife in criminal cases numbers 3415/2023 and number 3419/2023 at Makadara Law Courts where Mr Mucheru is the suspect.
Cpl. Wafula said he is investigating cases of obtaining money by false pretenses and conspiracy to commit a felony.
He said Ms Njaaga is accused of obtaining Sh20, 000 from a relative of a defilement suspect promising to secure the suspect’s release.
The detective was making an application before the court while seeking custodial orders to detain the suspects at Buruburu police station for 21 days to conclude investigations into the matter.
However, Senior Principal Magistrate Gerald Mutiso granted him orders to detain the five suspects for 14 days only and present them in court thereafter. They will be charged on August 16th.
Cpl. Wafula said he is investigating documents – title deeds used in the release of Mr Mucheru to verify their authenticity, whether the land exists as well as establish its value.
Ms Njeri opposed the application claiming she does not understand how she is in the mix because she only identified Ms Wambui who is her friend of more than 15 years for having conned her husband.
Mr Mucheru and Ms Njeri are suspected to be members of a syndicate that has been hiring high end cars, transferring their ownership to themselves before using them to obtain loans from financial institutions.
In one of the cases, Mr Mucheru and accomplices are jointly charged with colluding with others at large to obtain motor vehicle registration certificate (logbook) by false pretenses after transferring the registration of motor vehicle KCV 822Y a Toyota Land Cruiser to themselves.
They are accused of carrying out the illegal transfer of the vehicle’s registration at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA’s) Registration and Licensing Department on diverse dates between January 6th and 9th this year.
Mr Mucheru and his accomplices are also charged with obtaining credit by false pretenses after they used the forged logbook to obtain a loan of Sh2,250,264 from a financial institution after presenting the forged logbook purporting the vehicle belongs to one of them.