Five suspects have been arrested for allegedly orchestrating an online fraud scheme in which a woman lost Ksh.742,000 while attempting to purchase cement from a fraudulent website impersonating Bamburi Cement PLC.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the incident dated back to August 2025, when the victim sought to purchase 1,400 bags of cement for a family construction project in Ruiru and found a website purporting to represent Bamburi Cement PLC.
The victim contacted the number provided on the website and was directed to WhatsApp to continue negotiations.
She received an invoice demanding Ksh.742,000 and was instructed to pay the full amount through RTGS to a local bank account.
The complainant then transferred the amount on August 23, 2025, expecting the delivery of the cement.
To her surprise, the consignment never materialised as efforts to reach the alleged supplier proved futile.
Investigations revealed that the website, telephone number and invoice used in the transaction were fraudulent and had no authorisation or affiliation with Bamburi Cement PLC.
Further financial investigations traced the stolen funds from a bank account operated by Florence Atieno Okoth to another account operated by Emmanuel Wekesa, alias Brian Mulumba.
The money was subsequently withdrawn through ATM transactions in Kitengela Town.
Following the investigations, the five suspects were arrested and have since been arraigned in court and charged accordingly.
