Editor's Review

DCI detectives have arrested Abbas Bardu Omuyoma in connection with defrauding a Canadian investor of Ksh36.1 million in a gold scam.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) have arrested Abbas Bardu Omuyoma, aka Ishmael, in connection with defrauding a Canadian investor of Ksh36.1 million ($280,000) in a gold scam.

In a statement on Wednesday, September 17, DCI said that the suspect was apprehended after the foreign national filed a formal complaint.

“Detectives from the DCI Nairobi Regional Office have taken into custody Abbas Bardu Omuyoma, aka Ishmael, a fraudster linked to a gold scam that defrauded a Canadian investor out of USD 280,000,” read part of the statement.

According to the DCI, Ishmael, together with an accomplice who remains at large, orchestrated the gold scam.

The suspect lured the investor with promises of 550 kg of gold nuggets and bars, purportedly sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

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File image of Abbas Bardu Omuyoma, aka Ishmael. 

Convinced he was entering a legitimate deal, the investor transferred Ksh31.1 million, only to be left empty-handed when the promised gold never materialized.

Following the complaint, sleuths launched investigations, and through forensic leads, they trailed the suspect and arrested him along Dennis Pritt Road in Nairobi.

Ishmael is in police custody, undergoing processing pending his arraignment in court.

Meanwhile, the DCI detectives are in hot pursuit of Ishamel’s accomplice, who is still at large.

This comes weeks after detectives arrested Benson Gembe Odero and Emmulate Adhiambo Othuno in connection with a gold scam scheme targeting foreign investors.

The two suspects masterminded a gold scam and defrauded two investors from Dubai of $54,300 (Ksh7 million).

The two foreigners were lured by the suspects with the promise of a lucrative deal to purchase 35 kilograms of gold.

After days of negotiations, the two investors from Dubai flew to Kenya to finalize the transaction.

The investors were chauffeured to a hotel in Kilimani estate and introduced to an elaborate network of accomplices, some posing as Customs officers from KRA, Ministry of Mining officials, and licensed private jet operators.

The investors realized they had been scammed only after handing over $54,300 (Ksh7 million) to the suspects.

Detectives launched an investigation into the gold scam and carried out coordinated raids in Runda, Ridgeways, and the Industrial area.

Odero and Othuno managed to hide from the police until OSU detectives cornered them on August 13, 2025.