A retired teacher in Meru County has lost over Ksh7.5 million to a fake-gold investment syndicate.
According to a statement by DCI, the victim, a 61-year-old former teacher and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employee who spent years serving the public, only lost hard-earned savings to a calculated fraud scheme.
Between February and April, the retired teacher lost a total of Ksh7,595,309 through multiple bank transfers and mobile money transactions.
The authority stated that the fraudsters baited the complainant with promises of massive returns on investments, a tactic that has not proven devastatingly effective against retirees but also ordinary citizens across the country in recent years.
For the retired teacher, the promise was compelling enough to act on.
The losses accumulated quietly over three months, as each transaction seemed to edge closer to the big, promised payout, an expectation that was contrary to what was experienced in the long run.
The syndicate reportedly went cold, phones stopped being answered, and the retired teacher was left staring at bank statements with blank accounts.
DCI revealed that detectives from Imenti North, Meru County, took up the case and launched a careful, intelligence-led operation to hunt down those responsible for the scheme.
After investigations, officers traced the prime suspect to his hideout in the Gakurine area of Meru County following a tip-off from a member of the public and arrested him in a targeted operation.
During the operation, they seized a grey Volkswagen Passat from the suspect’s premises.
Reports indicate that the investigators suspect it was purchased with the proceeds of crime.
The car was towed to Meru Police Station to be used as an exhibit.
