Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have uncovered an elaborate scheme wherein two employees allegedly defrauded a real estate company in Kiambu’s Ruaka town of Ksh15 million over a span of 18 months.
The investigation revealed that the fraudulent activities involved a marketing officer and a receptionist employed by the real estate firm. The marketing officer, in particular, manipulated the company’s lease agreement forms, persuading tenants to disregard the official pay bill and bank account information provided and instead utilize the company office line which she controlled. She falsely claimed that the designated pay bill line was inactive.
Upon receiving payments for rent, water bills, and other services through the office line, the 41-year-old marketing officer redirected the funds to her personal phone numbers before transferring them to two accounts held at a local bank via mobile banking. To obscure her actions, she colluded with the receptionist, who manipulated figures in the company’s system to indicate that tenants had no outstanding arrears.
Further investigation revealed that despite her modest monthly salary of Ksh30,000, the marketing officer had transferred a substantial sum of Ksh750,000 to a vehicle sales company’s bank account as payment for a Toyota Harrier on April 14, 2023.
The receptionist, on the other hand, fabricated transaction codes within the company’s system and issued counterfeit receipts to tenants, a process facilitated by a cyber cafe in Ruaka.
Concerningly, the two suspects expedited the acquisition of travel documents, raising suspicions that they were planning to flee to Canada, where they allegedly have connections.
The DCI, poised to arraign the suspects at the Kiambu Law Courts on March 13, has levied multiple charges against them, including stealing by a servant, conspiracy to defraud, and computer fraud.
