Eight suspects linked to land fraud arrested

Some of the forged documents recovered by police during raid/ DCI X

Police have arrested eight suspects linked to land fraud.

They were arrested on claims of forging land ownership documents and other government-related documents.

According to police, some of the suspects are junior staff at the Ministry of Lands.

The DCI said the suspects had the intent to defraud innocent members of the public of their parcels of land.

The officers made the arrests after conducting a multi-agency crackdown.

The DCI said the coordinated operation was launched on March 28.

Police said each member of the syndicate was arrested in a separate operation.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said the raid in their premises led to the discovery of multiple assorted land documents belonging to different individuals.

Police also recovered dozens of plain and original title deeds, 287 assorted stamps, blank grant titles and allotment letters, 11 unused green cards, 101 passport-size photos for different individuals, certificates of titles and numerous transfer documents, among other evidential materials.

"The suspects have been promptly arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts, where detectives have been granted additional time to complete investigations and pursue other suspects linked to this fraud scheme," the DCI said.

Land fraud, including forged title deeds and fraudulent land transactions, is a serious issue in Kenya, with the DCI's Land Fraud Investigation Unit playing a crucial role in investigating and combating the crimes.

The arrest of the eight suspects comes at a time when the land fraud menace has rocked Nairobi and several other urban towns.

There have been claims of real estate businesses with landowners having undeveloped plots waking up to skyscraper buildings built on their property by fake document bearers, who are either perpetrators or victims of land fraud.

Double or multiple allocation of the same piece of land to multiple individuals or companies is among the most common forms of land fraud in Kenya.