Harriet Mary allegedly defrauded a Chinese national.
Editor's Review
The woman reportedly switched her phone after being wired the monies.
A 38-year-old woman is in police custody after allegedly fleecing a Chinese national of $101,000 (equivalent to Ksh 13 million).
Harriet Mary Wabwire was arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stationed at the Kamukunji Police Station.
According to the DCI, the suspect posed as the director of OTD Group Limited, claiming the capacity to supply wares to the victim.
"She claimed that she was in a position to supply aluminum alloys. In her elaborate scheme, she provided the victim with a forged bill of lading and a counterfeit Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) certificate of conformity," the DCI said in a statement.
Thirty-eight-year-old Harriet Wabwire was arrested in Tassia, Nairobi, after allegedly conning a Chinese national.
The false documents uttered by the suspect indicated she could supply 23,890 kilograms of aluminum alloys.
She further lied to the victim that the materials had been packed and were ready for shipment from the Mombasa Port to Ningbo, China. Convinced, the victim went ahead to transfer the monies to the suspect's bank account.
She later switched off her phone, arousing the suspicion of the victim.
He went ahead to report the matter to the authorities, whose detectives swung into action.
Using forensic leads, the detectives trailed the suspect to her hideouts in Nairobi's Tassia area.
She was arrested and booked ahead of her arraignment.
This adds to the numerous cases of foreigners falling victim to scammers advancing their illegal trade in Kenya.
On June 11, the detectives from the Nairobi-based Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) arrested a man who allegedly impersonated one of their own and defrauded an Ethiopian refugee of over Ksh3 million.
According to the DCI, the suspect, Rev. Richard Macharia Njuguna, scammed the refugee under the false promise of securing Kenyan citizenship.
The detectives noted that the cleric, affiliated with the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA), was arrested following a complaint lodged at Capitol Hill Police Station.
The scam unfolded between December 20, 2024 and February 12, 2025 when Njuguna presented himself as an ATPU officer assigned to the Directorate of Immigration Services.
He had convinced the refugee that he had the power to facilitate the acquisition of Kenyan citizenship.
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