NAIROBI, Kenya- Detectives from Nyali Police Station in Mombasa have arrested two suspects believed to be part of a gold scamming syndicate connected to a Sh37 million fraud case in Nairobi, authorities say.
The arrests come two days after local media exposed a case in which an American national was defrauded of KSh37 million in a gold deal that later turned out to be bogus.
Nyali Sub‑County Police Commander Davidson Magu said the suspects, who arrived in Mombasa from Nairobi, initially claimed they were in the city to buy a car.
Police later traced them to an apartment at Nyali Centre along Fifth Avenue, where they had rented two short‑stay units.
Their bags were seized as part of ongoing investigations.
“Upon questioning, they said they came from Nairobi to buy a vehicle,” Magu said.
“We are connecting the dots through our investigations and believe they are part of that gold scam that left a visitor from the United States out of pocket.”
Officers also questioned the caretaker and security guards of the apartment as detectives work to establish the suspects’ movements, check‑in details and possible accomplices.
Police say the arrested individuals will be transferred to the Nairobi Central Police Station for further interrogation and are expected to be arraigned in court next week.
Gold scams, where fraudsters lure investors with promises of lucrative deals involving supposed consignments of gold, have been recurring in Kenya.
In similar cases, victims are often given access to fake vaults and metallic bars before discovering the gold is not genuine, prompting criminal investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Authorities have in the past arrested suspects in other high‑value gold fraud cases, including some involving millions of shillings and foreign victims, as Kenya continues to grapple with elaborate fraudulent schemes tied to the gold trade.
