Ten people arrested over a Sh66 million gold scam will remain in police custody until tomorrow (Tuesday) when court will rule on their bail application.
Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki ordered for detention of the suspects at Capitol Hill police station pending the ruling scheduled for Tuesday 10am.
The suspects include eight Kenyans, one Greek and one Indian nationals. They are Samuel Wathika Gathuru, Moses Otieno Oketch, Patroba Odhiambo Tobias, Elisha Mbadi Kimbero, Teddy Samora Kowino, Loaennis Kaisarios, Mugabe Patrick Biriko, Seth Steve Okute, Bruno Otieno Oliende and Collins Kiprotich Langat.
They were arrested over the weekend for allegedly defrauding two American citizens USD 534,000 (Sh66,696,600) in a fake gold deal.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) wants to be allowed by court to hold the suspects for ten days at Kamukunji police station to conclude the investigation exercise.
"The court be pleased to issue a custodial order that the suspects be detained for 10 days from today at Kamukunji police station in Nairobi to allow the police conclude investigations," the investigation officer, Gerald Kamwaro, said in the application for custodial orders.
The officer claimed that the suspects were being investigated for the offence of conspiracy to commit a felony.
In the court papers, the DCI said that the eight Kenyans, one Indian and a Greek citizen were arrested in two separate raids at Nairobi’s upmarket Kitusuru and Kilimani suburbs.
Mr Kamwaro said the suspects have been posing as businessmen dealing in gold and that several foreign investors have fallen victims to them.
During arrest on Friday, the officer said Mr Gathuru was found in company of the other suspects in his office and upon search, several exhibits were recovered including suspected minerals coated in goldish and silver colours.
Also recovered was a partly used KCB cheque book in Bravie Group Company name, a brief case containing metal analyser tools, cash counting machine, a rubber stamp inscribed Bukule Tereno Advocates Kinshasa and several assorted metal rods.
The DCI wants the 10 suspects detained since the police intends to subject the recovered exhibits including mobile phones to ballistic experts, mobile providers, Ministry of Mining, immigration office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
DCI officers also want to contact the government of Republican of Guinea, Burkina Faso, DRC, Rwanda, Dubai and USA in regard to the mentioned persons, gold and documents recovered by the police.
