DCI Arrests Man Over Ksh12 Million Private Jet Fraud on a Nigerian

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday, January 24, announced the arrest of a Kenyan involved in a private jet scam that defrauded a Nigerian national of Ksh12 million (150 million Naira).

“Hawkshaws drawn from DCI Headquarters have arrested a suspect who earlier this month, with others who are yet to be arrested, conspired to defraud a Nigerian national of a sum of 150 million Naira (Ksh 12 million),” the DCI stated.

The DCI revealed that the Kenyan and his counterparts presented themselves as genuine businessmen with the capacity to facilitate the hiring of a private jet to transport unspecified investment funds from Kenya to Nigeria.

According to the DCI, the unsuspecting victim proceeded to make the Ksh12 million payment. The victim later realised that he had been defrauded after the suspect and his cabal became unavailable.

An operation by the sleuths led to the arrest of the suspect, with his accomplices managing to escape from the sherlock’s dragnet.

While communicating the arrest, the DCI raised alarm over the increased trend of usage of cryptocurrency by fraudsters as an alternative means of monetary exchange to escape arrest. 

“The public is also cautioned of an emerging trend where fraudsters have been found to be using cryptocurrency as a means of exchange outside the formal financial system in a bid to evade detection,” noted the sleuths.

Back in February 2024, the DCI issued an alert to Kenyans over trading in cryptocurrency after receiving numerous cases of Kenyans being defrauded through the blockchain technology-based monetary system.

The detectives revealed that an increased number of Kenyans were being scammed by fraudsters who were sending “Make Money Sitting At Home” short messages (SMS).

According to DCI, the SMS targeted a huge populace of people, with Kenyans subsequently asked to join online investment platforms through anonymous links.

The links were alluring with promises of high margins of profit, with unsuspecting victims falling for the lies. 

Consequently, the government issued a ban on cryptocurrencies, but their usage persisted through illegitimate channels, with many devising means to bypass the restrictions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) challenged the government to develop a regulatory framework for crypto to protect consumers and address financial risks.

To that effect, Treasury CS John Mbadi announced on January 11, 2025, that a regulatory framework was in the process of being developed, noting that the crypto space provides dynamic opportunities.

The regulations will be contained in the Draft National Policy on Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers, December 2024, and seek to safeguard the sector from risks that include money laundering, terrorist financing, and fraud.