Police have sought orders to investigate at least seven banks in whose accounts a cartel of fraudsters were using to milk unsuspecting customers dry.
The conmen posing as legitimate businessmen were using the banks accounts to flees unsuspecting members of the public through online shopping syndicates
Kiambu Chief Magistrate Ms Patriciah Gichohi issued the order following a miscellaneous application E286/21 by Simon Obiero of Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The officer in his affidavit stated that the public was duped into the transaction on www decapoholing.com belonging to Dcap Limited purporting to be selling motor vehicle parts, motorbikes, electronics, and gym equipment which at the end were not delivered to the innocent buyers.
The bank accounts he intends to investigate were believed to have been used in the commission of the offenses on diverse dates between 1st October 2020 to 31st May 2021.
The accounts in question are domiciled at Family Bank, Sidian Bank, Co-operative Bank of Kenya, Standard Bank, Chartered, NCBA Bank, KCB, and Guaranty Trust Bank.
He told the magistrate that he intended to be supplied with accounts opening documents and bank statements of the said accounts that were being held by the suspects.
The officer told the court he intended to investigate the money transaction that was received into the accounts and the amount that was transferred from the bank accounts in respect to the fraud.
The same court closed a file in which a man who secured a bank loan from the Housing Finance Corporation HFC Bank changed the ownership.
Sergent Willis Chepkonga told the court through his miscellaneous application No E285 of 2021 that a complainant namely Silas Magut who is a sales agent at Platinum Kenya Limited a credit microfinance reported that one Peter Mwaniki Komba approached him for a loan using a motor vehicle registration number KCQ 987G as collateral for the said loan.
That the complainant proceeded and did a valuation of the said motor vehicle and did a search of the same at NTSA to confirm if the suspect was the sole owner of the said motor vehicle.
Upon confirming from NTSA that he was the sole owner, the two parties proceeded and agreed that the motor vehicle ownership be changed so as to be co-owned by Platinum Kenya Limited and the suspects for the purpose of disbursing the loan the suspect had borrowed.
The court heard that on 19th March 2021, Sh1,700,000 was credited to the suspect’s account No. 9783703227-0 domiciled at HFC Bank from Platinum Credit on the strength of the motor vehicle as the collateral.
Chepkonga told the court that after receipt of the motor vehicle, the suspect together with others proceeded and changed the ownership of the said motor vehicle from being co-owned back to his name Peter Mwania Chomba.
He had prayed for a production order instructing the bank for certified copies of entry transaction, account opening documents of both accounts and bank statements from March 14, 2021 – 30th March. He told the court that he had accessed the documents which he required from the bank to enable him complete his case.
Lydia Shiloya
