Detectives announced on Saturday that they have recovered goods in Uganda, which were allegedly stolen from an Indian national. These goods are believed to be worth more than Sh267 million and were reportedly taken by suspected fraudsters in Uganda, with assistance from local individuals.
The investigation into this case involved experienced officers from the DCI’s Serious Crimes Unit, as well as officers from the Uganda Police Criminal Investigations Department and INTERPOL.
According to the DCI, the complainant, who is the Chief Executive of a prominent chemical industry, had supplied a consignment of 104 containers of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). This consignment was delivered to suspected fictitious companies between December 12, 2022, and April 22, 2023.
Caustic soda is a chemical used in laboratories and as a cleansing agent.
The complainant, who came to Kenya from India to report the incident at DCI headquarters, stated that five companies had ordered the consignment. The delivery was made through the port of Mombasa between January 31, 2023, and May 15, 2023. However, once the last container was unloaded at the port, the consignees, who had not paid for the shipment, cut off communication with the supplier.
As a result, an investigation was launched, involving various teams from Kenya and Uganda, as well as INTERPOL.
On Friday, the team managed to recover 7,420 bags, equivalent to seven containers of the product, at a depot in Uganda’s Industrial Area in Kampala. Efforts are ongoing to recover the rest of the shipment and to apprehend the individuals involved.
In a separate incident, detectives recently recovered a variety of cooking appliances that had allegedly been stolen while in transit from the port of Mombasa to Malindi. One suspect was arrested during the operation by detectives from the DCI. These appliances were found in the Saika area within Nairobi County, thanks to a joint effort between detectives from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau in Nairobi and their counterparts in Kilindini.
The DCI believes that the container with goods worth over Sh10 million may have been diverted by the driver in collaboration with others. The driver claimed that the truck had developed mechanical problems at Kikambala, along the Mombasa-Malindi highway, and failed to deliver the goods to the intended recipient.
