Fraud suspect Samuel Mwendwa Mutua who defrauded a nursing home over Sh948,000 in a false shipping deal has been arrested by detectives based at DCI Headquarters.
The 50-year-old suspect, whose company trades as World Freight Logistics Limited, had in 2020 been contracted by St. Joseph’s Maternity and Nursing Home located in Nakuru Molo sub-county, to import hospital equipment procured in an expansion program.
The equipment, which were to be shipped from China, included hospital beds, mortuary equipment, theater beds and a dental chair.
The said hospital had on Nov 6, 2020 gone ahead to pay Sh 407,000 from its Equity Bank account to the suspect’s company’s account held at a local bank, being payments for freight charges.
The payments were made after the China-based vendor consolidated the shipment into a 40-feet container and settled it on Oceanus Intn’l Logistics (Shenzen) Co. Ltd as guided by the suspect.
When the goods arrived in the country on Dec 8, 2020, the hospital had applied for clearance permit from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, before releasing Sh158,200 to the suspect’s account being shipping line charges and container deposits.
An extra Sh383,000 was on April 4, 2021 sent to the suspect to cater for Kenya Ports Authority rent and the World Freight Logistics agency fee, the latter amounting to Sh183,000.
It was after receiving the entire amount of Sh948,200 that the suspect decided to go under, after a series of false promises that his company would deliver the goods at the hospital’s facility.
The hospital would later make their complaint at DCI’s Complaints Directorate after learning that not only had the suspect defrauded them, but also had their shipment auctioned on overstay grounds at the Embakasi ICD.
Investigations conducted by the DCI established that having received the Sh948,200 from the hospital, the suspect neither paid the freight charges to Oceanus Co. Ltd, rent to KPA nor the container deposits.
Further, swift transfer forms presented by the suspect alleging to have paid USD 3275 to the China-based company as freight charges was found to be fake.
The suspect is currently being processed for arraignment, and will face charges of Obtaining Money by False Pretences and Forgery/Making a Document without Lawful Authority.
The DCI calls upon any other member of the public who may have been duped by the suspect or his company in a similar manner to make their report at DCI Headquarters-Operations Directorate.
