Detectives
are investigating an incident where a Dutch national was attacked and robbed of Sh3.6 million in a fake gold deal in Kakamega Town.
The
foreigner had been dramatically lured from his comfort zone in Dubai to
Kakamega, where the incident happened.
Officials
linked the incident to the urge for cheap minerals, and especially gold.
The incident
happened on May 28, 2025, in a building where the foreigner had been driven to.
The victim
is the latest to fall into the trap of the gold scammers, who are changing
tactics on a daily basis amid police operations to tame the trend.
According to
the police, the victim had travelled from Dubai to Nairobi, then flew to Kisumu
before he was picked up to visit an alleged gold site in Ikolomani, Kakamega.
He told
police he met an alleged gold handler online who identified himself as only Smith
and who claimed to possess gold in Ikolomani Sub County.
He persuaded
him to travel to learn how to sell the gold in Dubai.
The
foreigner travelled to Kenya and then to Ikolomani through Kisumu International
Airport.
He was met
by the said Smith and another individual, who boarded a blue car on Wednesday
evening to Kakamega town with a bag containing the cash and other valuables.
He was later
taken to a building where he was attacked by three men who overpowered him and
robbed him of USD29,950 and later abandoned him at Kisumu International
Airport, where he reported the incident.
During the
robbery, the foreigner sustained bruises on his face and experienced general
body pains.
He received
medical attention from Port Health and was discharged in fair condition.
Police said
they are investigating the saga.
Such
incidents where foreigners are conned out of their money over fake gold deals have
been rampant.
Police have
asked authorities to classify the trend as a threat to national security and a
serious crime.
This is the
latest recovery of the fake gold being made in a series of police operations in
the country.
Police say
most of the suspects behind the incidents have been arrested and arraigned, and
their cases remain active in courts.
The
operations have been mounted in the past years after many foreigners complained
they had been scammed in the city.
Nairobi was
increasingly turning to be a hub for fake gold deals, which prompted the
operations.
Police say
they have dozens of cases of complaints from foreigners who say they had been
conned by Kenyans pretending to be selling gold.
In efforts
to address such incidents, the DCI had asked embassies in the country to join
the fight against the vice by urging them to advise their nationals engaged in
trade to follow procedures.
“We urge the
Embassies (High Commissions) to advise their nationals coming in for business
to be apprised of con business of gold going on in the country and first
contact the Department of Mines and Geology for the procedure that pertains to
buying and selling of gold and other precious metals,” the DCI said.
