A prime suspect in a series of fraud cases reported in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kisumu and Mombasa counties by holidaymakers has been arrested.
The DCI said on Friday the female suspected was arrested on Thursday in Ruaka Kiambu County as she sought assistance at a bank that had frozen her account over multiple suspicious transactions.
"In a well-choreographed scheme that has milked both local and foreign coast-goers to the bones, the daring suspect opened several social media platforms purporting to own several Airbnbs in the Coastal region of Mombasa, drawing a followership of over 10k unsuspecting fun lovers," the DCI boss Mohamed Amin said in a statement.
He said some of the accounts on Facebook which she used to lure unsuspecting holiday makers contained plagiarised information and copyrighted photos.
"After netting her targets who could only reach her online, the quiet suspect with loud deals directed them to channel booking fees to a Till or Paybill number after which she would vanish leaving them stranded along beaches, bus stations, SGR terminals and airports," the DCI director said.
The top detective further revealed that the 24-year-old suspect enlisted the use of multiple Sim cards which she used interchangeably to cover her tracks.
All the numbers, he said, were registered under different names mostly using stolen ID cards.
"In one of the incidents that finally gave her away after months of trailing, she obtained an unrevealed sum of money from a banker who would not let the money just go without a face and a name. After the foul play, the banker tipped the detectives who swiftly got their feet on her neck," Amin said.
The DCI boss said following the arrest, DCI stations around the Nairobi region including DCI Kilimani, Kasarani, Thika, Kiambaa and Kiambu are processing files for her arraignment as she awaits collection by other counties where her crimes have been reported.