A fake gold syndicate involving a senator, two members of parliament, a police officer and several other suspects has been exposed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The suspects are Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang, Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda and Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor aka Jalango, all elected on UDA and ODM tickets respectively.
Zaheer Jhanda, Allan Chesang and Jalang’o Linked to Sh1 Billion Fake Gold Scam
September 11, 2023 – 23:56Zowan Fayzan
A fake gold syndicate involving a senator, two members of parliament, a police officer and several other suspects has been exposed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The suspects are Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang, Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda and Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor aka Jalango, all elected on UDA and ODM tickets respectively.
An image of Jhanda, Jhanda and Jalang’o How Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor aka Jalang’o, Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang, Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda and a police officer took part in a fake gold syndicate that conned a Tunisian national of Sh1 billion
The trio is accused of being part of a network of scammers who have operatives posing as government officials from police, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and customs departments, complete with fake documentation.
This intricate web of deceit began to unravel when a Tunisian national found himself on the brink of losing a staggering Sh1 billion in a fake gold transaction.
Unbeknownst to him, this elaborate con game was orchestrated by the aforementioned trio, who possessed insider information regarding the source and authenticity of the counterfeit gold.
At the epicenter of this unfolding saga is a house owned by a businessman within the famous Garden Estate, situated along the Thika Highway just near Roasters.
It was within these walls that fake gold and counterfeit dollar notes, crucial tools in their fraudulent endeavors, were discovered by the DCI under the watchful eye of their boss, Amin Mohammed.
This house, allegedly transformed into a den of scammers for their clandestine operations, became the focal point of the investigation.
Among the numerous suspects apprehended during the DCI’s raid was a police officer affiliated with the Kiminini DCI offices, believed to have been on the payroll of these criminal masterminds, tasked with shielding their illicit operations from law enforcement scrutiny.
Trapped and Deceived
The Tunisian victim’s ordeal began when he arrived in Kenya, spending nearly an hour at the airport without anyone attending to him.
Subsequently, he was persuaded by a taxi driver that he would be safely transported to his intended destination.
The victim was then transported to Ngara, a district in Nairobi, where he was held incommunicado for an entire week before being summoned to the Garden Estate “office”.
During this time, his place of residence was Hennessey’s Hotel in Ngara, located in close proximity to Stima Plaza.
His captors demanded a down payment of Sh500 million before he could lay his eyes on the alleged gold.
Following the preliminary inspection and verification of a small sample, he was to pay the remaining Sh600 million.
However, he failed to meet the stipulated deadline.
The Garden Estate Raid
In response to the victim’s disappearance, the DCI, accompanied by their tactical team, executed a swift operation that resulted in the arrest of ten individuals.
Notably, two suspects, one of whom was suspected to be armed, managed to evade capture by forcefully tearing through a shade net fence, heightening the perimeter wall for added privacy.
In the aftermath of these arrests, it has since been revealed that Senator Chesang, the MPs, and high-ranking officers within the National Police Service frantically made phone calls in a desperate bid to secure the release of the detained suspects.
The scammers behind this operation had ingeniously crafted personas, posing as government officials from the police, Kenya Wildlife Authority (KWA), and customs departments, complete with counterfeit documentation.
Among the items seized by the police were a pistol, multiple mobile phones, and a significant quantity of metal boxes used to store the counterfeit currency and fake gold.
These confiscated materials were promptly transported to the DCI headquarters for further examination.
Previous Scams
In a related development, Zaheer Jhanda, one of the implicated politicians, has come under investigation along with a bank official and several other individuals.
This inquiry stems from a jaw-dropping con involving a Brazilian national who was swindled out of Sh1 billion, marking one of the most significant gold scams in Kenyan history.
Adding intrigue to the situation, Jhanda recently caused a stir on social media platforms when a video emerged of him nonchalantly counting millions of dollars in an undisclosed location.Ton his footage showcased the lawmaker, who is also a prominent businessman, meticulously counting stacks of hundred-dollar bills, one by one.