The Director of Press at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Salim Swaleh is among several suspects arrested in connection with a well-choreographed scheme to defraud foreigners.
Swaleh who is also a former news anchor, was picked up Sunday by detectives along with some of his co-conspirators on grounds of impersonation, misuse of the Kenya railway office facility and fraud.
In a statement released by Peter Warutere in the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, those nabbed had perfected the art of “renting” office space to criminals and given them access through fake entry badges to access the premises and swindle unsuspecting visitors.
They are reported to have also attempted to bribe the arresting officers.
Investigations into the fraudsters’ cabal have revealed several co-conspirators, including government officials who aided their illegal activities and are being sought.
“Their victims were mainly foreigners who would be shepherded into the Railways
Building ostensibly to meet high ranking Government officers for favours in
exchange of bribes” the statement reads.
“The surveillance was able to also track and identify their co-conspirators, among
them Government officers who facilitated their dastardly activities. Those arrested
include Salim Swaleh, Director of OPCS Press Service, in whose office the swindlers
were found nested with fake door switch-nametags” it adds.
The arrests followed a tipoff that alerted OPCS-MFDA security, who then mounted intense surveillance at the OPCS-MFDA Railways Office to disrupt the reported nefarious acts of impersonation and misuse of the facility by the fraudsters.
The suspects have also been accused of trying to buy their freedom.
“Upon being smoked out in one of the OPCS-MFDA Railway offices where the confidence tricksters had settled in wait for their victims on Saturday, the group had the audacity of attempting to bribe their way out” the office said.
