How three suspected fraudsters obtained loans using hired cars
Three people – two men and a woman – who have allegedly been colluding with officials of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to transfer hired vehicles to themselves before using them to obtain loans have been remanded in custody after denying various fraud charges.
Alex Munyiri Karuri, Catherine Njoki Ndung’u alias Carolyne Wambui Maina and Daniel Mwangi Mucheru were denied bail and bonds by Principal Magistrate Eric Mutunga of Makadara Law Courts after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) made an application for the same.
Mr Karuri was separately charged with conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor contrary to section 394 of the penal code.
In the charge, he is accused of conspiring with others at large to obtain registration for a motor vehicle – KCU 188B a Toyota Hilux by false pretenses on diverse dates between February 8 and 22, 2023.
In the second charge, Mr Karuri is accused of obtaining registration by false pretenses contrary to section 320 of the penal code.
He is accused of procuring transfer of the said motor vehicle registration certificate (logbook) at the NTSA headquarters falsely pretending that the same had been issued by the Directorate of Registration and Licensing at the NTSA a fact he knew to be false. He is accused of committing the offence at the NTSA headquarters on February 23, 2023.
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Mr Karuri has also been charged with obtaining credit by false pretenses after he allegedly used the fake logbook to obtain a Sh1 million credit from a company where he presented the forged logbook as security on diverse dates between February 22nd and 24th this year.
He is also accused of unauthorized access contrary to section 14 (1) of the computer misuse and cybercrime Act of 2018 where he is accused of infringing NTSA security measures.
In their cases, Ms Ndung’u and Mr Mucheru are jointly charged with colluding with others at large to obtain registration of a motor vehicle (logbook) by false pretenses after transferring the registration of motor vehicle KCV 822Y a Toyota Land Cruiser on diverse dates between January 6th and 9th this year.
They are also accused of colluding with others at large in procuring registration for the said vehicle at the NTSA headquarters on January 6, this year falsely pretending that the registration had been issued by the Directorate of Registration and Licensing at the NTSA a fact he knew to be false.
The duo 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 by falsely presenting a forged logbook purporting the vehicle belongs to Ms Ndung’u.
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The three suspects denied the charges before Mr Mutung and detective constable Abdirizak Ali of DCI NTSA offices filed an affidavit to oppose bail and bond terms for them.
The detective told the court that the three have been working in cahoots with other suspects including their accomplice who jumped bail and escaped to Tanzania after he was charged and released on bond.
Mr Ali said there are several other similar cases that are under investigations and more complainants are likely to come up and report having been defrauded by the three.
But their lawyer Moses Nyamanga had opposed Mr Ali’s application saying it could not merit the denial of bail and bonds for the suspects.
Mr Nyamanga told the court that Mr Ali’s claims were mere apprehensions as there was no miscellaneous file brought to the court to seek custodial orders.
“What is before court is a file presented after investigations were concluded and there are charges before the court,” Mr Nyamanga stated in his bail application for the suspects. The vehicles in question belong to unsuspecting car dealers who leased tem to the suspects.
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