The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national and international interest.

Standard Group Plc HQ Office,
The Standard Group Center,Mombasa Road.
P.O Box 30080-00100,Nairobi, Kenya.
Telephone number: 0203222111, 0719012111
Email: [email protected]

NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Nairobian

Police net fake cash, arrest three

Business

By The Standard Business | May 21, 2011

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

Police are holding two Congolese men and a Kenyan woman in connection with a fake money printing syndicate to the tune of billions of shillings in Ngong’s splashy residence of Muthaiga.

Kajiado North OCPD Mohamed Farah said the ‘large sums of money’ in US dollars and Kenyan currency was the biggest fake money heist in recent times.

“We recovered US dollars and Kenya notes in 100 bills and Sh1000 respectively. We still do not know how much it is but it is the biggest heist police have recovered,” he said.

Keep Reading business

The OCPD said the three were arrested in the wee hours of Saturday morning when police, acting on a tip off from public, raided the premier home about two kilometres off Ngong-Kiserian road.

In August last year, police in Bungoma arrested four men who were allegedly circulating fake money in the town.The fake notes in circulation were in Sh100 and Sh1, 000 denominations.

However, the police had not established the chain of supply of Saturday’s heist into the market.According to one of the officers who carried the raid, police have been trailing the suspects for some time now.

“Sometimes they drive cars but at times they walk. It was difficult to know their way of operation,” he said.

Area OCPD said on arrival into the house, they found strange paraphernalia that pointed to ‘satanic issues.’

From a distance, the red-tiled five bed-roomed house sandwiched between prestigious homes creates a picture of ambience and affluence.

The black heavy metallic gate opens into a green home with beautiful flowers and lawns. But the picture fades once you set foot in the house.

A foul smell greets your nose as you approach the dark empty rooms with soiled toilets and bat droppings.

The house kitchen, which seemed to be the ‘operation room’, was awash with printing papers, chemicals, clothes of different bright scary colours, dirty knives and scissors.

But that was not all: one of the bedrooms was turned into a ‘worship’ room complete with a pulpit.

Two huge boxes full of the fake money and two others holding wooden coffins with red soil were carefully covered with a red cloth and crosses and candles of varied colours on top.

A huge portrait of ‘Thank you Jesus’ was hanging on the wall and assortment of books with tittles such as ‘History of Magic’ and ‘Covenants of curses’ rested on the table.

According to Njeri Mwarania, a neighbour, the compound is always quiet.

A woman who is said to be the agent of the house said the suspects rented the house two months ago but she declined to divulge whether she was privy to the arrangement.

The multi million-syndicate was so secretive that even the home guard paid Sh7000 per month was not ware.

“I work at night but I have never entered the house. A times one woman and three men come in the night adorning white clothes and red caps,” said Kaprana Etutoya, the guard.

Speaking on Saturday, Mohamed, the OCPD asked the public to scrutinise each note they posses because several notes could be in supply.