A KTN News journalist was forced to run for his life after he was threatened by men believed to be fraudsters running a con business in the city.
Siraju Rahman, a Swahili presenter and anchor, was threatened with a gun by one of the leaders of a deeply webbed racketeering gang in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD).
Right to his face and before a hidden camera, the man vowed to gun down Rahman if he ever set eyes on him again.
“However, if I ever set my eyes on this one again, I will put a bullet through his head. You know I have a gun, don’t you,” the gang leader warned him.
When asked why, the gang member did not give a direct answer, but kept on stating that the journalist knew why.
“You know why. This is not the first time you are meddling into my business. Just know that I will deal with you accordingly,” the man stated, pointing a warning finger at the journalist.
Instantly, the statement led to a eureka moment in Rahman’s mind, not the good kind. He knew that his cover had been blown, his goose was cooked.
He took to his feet, understanding the modus operandi of the gang that he had been investigating for close to eight months. The gang would violently deal with anyone that would cross its path.
Rahman, his English reporter counterpart, Fred Kagonye, and a plain clothe police officer, had approached the gang to return money they had allegedly swindled from a university student whom they found in tears after she was lured into a quick win scheme.
The reporters had approached the student on the street and accompanied her to Kamukunji Police Station where they reported the matter.
After a few phone calls, the police were able to identify the specific gang involved and soon after went to the location where the gang operated.
The officers told the gang that what they had done to the victim was not justifiable and demanded that they return the full amount, Ksh1,500 to her. An order they heeded to, hesitantly.
The student narrated that she had been approached by a woman who posed as victim of the con artists. Before she knew it, she had sent the woman Ksh1,500 meant for transport and upkeep money.
“I first gave them Ksh500 in cash. They asked if I had any other money on my phone. They wanted Ksh5,000 but I only had Ksh1,000, which I sent to her,” the teary student narrated.
She further explained that the woman then deleted the transaction message from her phone on pretext of confirming she was the right recipient of the money.
In another incident, a woman lost her Ksh5,500 salary in a well organised plan that began with her being asked to pick up a pen that had fallen.
The investigations by the KTN News crew revealed that there exist several con gangs operating illegally in the city. The gangs target unsuspecting Kenyans with lucrative deals and quick-cash traps which they fall prey to. In a day, they make as much as Ksh500,000.
The gangs are well connected and allegedly enjoy the protection of the police, police bosses as well as officials from the Nairobi City Council, who in return get a slice of the crime proceeds.
Although the police admitted to the existence of the gang, Nairobi OCPD, Adamson Bungei, denied claims that they were involved in the ‘Game of Cons’. They, however, warned city residents not to be gullible.
