Two arrested for defrauding Italian man over Sh19.5m

Two suspects were on Wednesday arrested for defrauding an Italian preacher-cum-businessman, over Sh19.5 Million.

The suspects, Gideon Nuka, a Nigerian national and Seth Steve Okuthe, were arrested after they failed to deliver a shipment of gold to Dubai as earlier agreed.

DCI stated that the two have been arrested on several occasions on fraud charges.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that the Nigerian national has been following the preacher in his gospel missions all over the world and found the opportunity to strike when he got into the country," DCI said.

The preacher-cum-businessman was lured into the trap after he was shown fake gold which he paid for and even paid a significant amount of money to have a private jet deliver the consignment in Dubai.

DCI stated that the two were produced before court on Thursday, for obtaining money by false pretences contrary to section 313 of the penal code.

On Tuesday, Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti renewed his advise to foreigners seeking to buy gold locally to always liaise with their respective embassies for clarification on the issue.

“We don’t have such huge gold being flaunted by these merchants to the people in need out there. Let those who want to buy do their due diligence,” he said.

He added the crackdown on those behind the crime is ongoing and that it has a negative impact on the economy.

Unsuspecting gold buyers are annually conned more than Sh2 billion out of their greed to make a quick kill in the business.