NAIROBI, Kenya- Four Chinese nationals have been arrested in Nairobi following investigations into an alleged sophisticated fraud scheme involving SIM swapping and money laundering.
The investigation began after a businesswoman discovered that her two Safaricom lines had suddenly stopped working, leaving her unable to make calls or access M-Pesa services.
She reported the incident to police, prompting detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Parklands to begin investigations into the suspected hijacking of her mobile lines.
According to detectives, the two lines were allegedly used to receive funds from a gaming and betting platform before the money was moved through different mobile numbers and bank accounts linked to the suspects.
The investigation led detectives to four Chinese nationals identified as Xiaoling Gu, Guodong Fu, Wenji Gao and Gu Xiaopeng, who were subsequently arrested.
Detectives searched the suspects’ premises following the arrests and recovered 15 Safaricom SIM cards and nine Airtel SIM cards registered under different names.
They also recovered six SIM cards belonging to foreign nationals, six mobile phones, laptops and three ATM cards registered to different account holders.
Police further recovered Sh1,125,800 in cash during the operation.
The four suspects were arraigned before the Kibra Chief Magistrate’s Court on September 1, 2026.
They remain in custody as the court prepares to rule on their bond applications on September 4.
Meanwhile, detectives are continuing to follow the money trail as they investigate the suspected flow of funds through mobile numbers and bank accounts.
The DCI said the ongoing investigations could lead to the identification and arrest of additional suspects linked to the alleged fraud network.
