When Kenneth Bundi went to the upscale Volume VIP Club in Mombasa in the company of three friends last Saturday, all he wanted was a night of fun then retire to his room.
What started as a night of merrymaking ended in tears when the man’s drink was spiked by a lady he had met at the club, who then swept his bank accounts clean. In the end, Sh596,000 was gone.
It was an excellent atmosphere, and Mr Bundi had a blast at the club. All was well until he woke up drowsy the next day and realised his phone and ATM cards were missing.
“I left the club with two girls. We arrived at my room at 6am. They drugged me and transferred cash from my phone to different unregistered numbers. They used Fuliza and took a KCB loan. I lost around 17, 000. They left with my phone, laptop and other valuables,” Mr Bundi told the Nation, adding that he reported the case at Jomvu police station.
He is now relying on CCTV footage from Volume VIP Club to identify the girls with the help of the police. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), however, claimed Mr Bundi lost close to Sh600, 000.
“The two chatted animatedly and enjoyed their drinks at the establishment until 4am when the lady only identified as Wambui whispered to the man that it was about time. They left the club and hailed a cab that dropped them at Seville Apartments, where the man had reserved a suite. They took a shower before they went back to the room where he took a glass of juice that knocked him out a few minutes later,” DCI stated on their social media pages.
Mr Bundi passed out until the next day when a steward knocked on the door. That’s when he discovered he had become the latest victim of drugging after he found his mobile phones, laptop, ATM cards and other valuables missing.
“The man was in Mombasa for a business trip and had decided to unwind at the newly launched Volume VIP Club in Shanzu, before he met the woman who laced his drink with a stupefying substance and swept his bank accounts clean,” the post read.
Women aged between 19 and 30 have been drugging revellers in nightclubs using Rohypnol, a drug used to treat severe insomnia and assist with anaesthesia. It is a depressant that relaxes the body.
With just Sh30 or Sh50, even minors can access a Rohypnol tablet or what is commonly referred to as the “date rape drug”.
It is supposed to be prescribed and administered by licensed health professionals, but it’s openly sold by pharmacists. It’s been banned in other parts of the world.
“They hide the drug inside the nails which they later use to spike their prey; it’s common in Shanzu. We don’t entertain them in our club. We have tight security with lady bouncers at the main gate and inside the facility. At the reception, we check ladies’ handbags and their nails to ensure the safety of our revellers,” said Faith Muthoka, a supervisor at Volume VIP Club.
“Customers are running away because of these women. We always advise our patrons to be careful, not to leave their drinks on the table when they visit the washrooms,” said a manager.
A research report on Rohypnol by the National University of Natural Medicine says that victims will suddenly appear drunk in a manner that is disproportionate to the amount of alcohol they have consumed.
The victim may become lethargic, unable to walk or stand, and have disjointed speech or total inability to talk. In some cases, they may look confused.
“Some men come to the club with prostitutes who end up stealing from them then they later blame our nightclubs, tarnishing our business name. Security starts with you,” said a manager.
On Monday, Mr Sonko refuted claims that Mr Bundi was drugged in his club.
“Our attention has been drawn to a post published on the social media pages earlier today purporting that a client who was having fun at our club was spiked then robbed of money amounting to Sh596, 000 and other valuables. We would like to categorically state that the incident never happened within our premises...” said the former Nairobi governor.
He added: “We have installed surveillance cameras that help us monitor the security of all our customers. We’ve obtained the M-Pesa statement from the victim and it confirms the amount transferred from his account by the lady after he willingly gave her the Pin was Sh17, 000 and not Sh596, 000,” added Mr Sonko.
After reviewing CCTV footage, the victim identified the lady who robbed her.
“The victim has also confirmed that the incident never happened in our club but in Jomvu, where he’d gone to have more fun with the lady, who invited her friends to the apartment,” said Mr Sonko.
