DCI Detectives arrest Mary Njoki for allegedly defrauding a Kenyan based in the US of Ksh. 30 Million in fake drug supply.
Mary Njoki Ng’ang’a, the mastermind believed to be behind a group of con people targeting Kenyans working in the diaspora has been arrested.
In a statement by the DCI, Njoki alias Dr Susan who was posing as merchants connected to the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Nairobi, was arrested after one of her victims who had already lost over Ksh30 million in an alleged fake cancer drug supply scam reported the matter to the detectives.
Njoki, who was heavily guarded was nabbed in Hurlingham as she waited to receive Ksh20 million in cash after duping the victim into believing that he had won a tender to deliver alleged cancer treatment drugs that were in her possession.
Detectives say the group duped their victim; an American of Kenyan descent only identified as Wallace that he had won a tender to supply Eloxatin, a drug used in the treatment of stage three of colon cancer.
The fraudulent business began when a Nairobi based con woman was introduced to Wallace through a Whatsapp group of Kenyan’s living in the US.
Mary Njoki the con woman posed as a wheeler-dealer in the UNOPS’ system, with connections to assist in the supply of goods and services would later introduce Wallace to a top procurement official working at the agency identified as Leah Wanjiru.
The two, (Wallace and Leah) would later meet at the TRM mall along Thika road for coffee to brief Wallace about the UNOPS supply system.
Leah swung into action with a supplies portal and asked him to register and at that point, Wallace was convinced beyond any doubts that Leah was authentic since, after all, she drove in the mall in a car bearing diplomatic number plates.
Soon after, the portal was updated with a tender advert to supply 1,000 Cancer Eloxatin vials, and shortly after, Leah called Wallace informing him that he had been awarded the tender.
She however gave him a disclaimer that UNOPS only accepted drugs from accredited pharmacists in Kenya and directed him to a doctor identified as Moses Otieno.
Wallace was first required to supply a sample from Dr Otieno which was passed to be of the right standards.
In a well thought out and curated scam, Wallace was initially asked to supply 250 vials which he bought at $560(Ksh63,364) per vial and sold to UNOPS at $1,000(Ksh113,150) per vial making a profit of $440(Ksh49,786 ) per vial.
He was later asked to supply another 250 vials as he waited for his payment to be processed.
He proceeded to withdraw Ksh20 million from his bank account and transferred the cash to Dr Otieno for the second delivery and invited a lawyer to witness the second deal.
At this point, he was still waiting for his payment but the procurement officer asked him to wait for 14 more days as he completes the remaining 500 vials.
“After 14 days, the cons went underground and efforts by Wallace to reach them turned futile. Their phones went unanswered. By the time Wallace was reporting to our headquarters, he had lost over Ksh30 million to the fraudsters,” part of the DCI statement read.
Wallace would later receive a call from Dr Susan on December 27, with an offer to supply Eloxatin vials worth Ksh20 million and he informed the detectives about the plan.
In the company of police constable Charles Ogetii based at DCI Kilimani, the two waited at the parking lot at Suppers and Dinners restaurant in Hurlingham where they were busted by serious crimes detectives.
