Police at the weekend seized three excavators worth millions of shillings after it emerged they were fraudulently imported into the country from India.
The officers from Nairobi were following a complaint from London where a company complained of fraud in the exercise.
Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti said the excavators worth Sh43 million were confiscated in Changamwe, Mombasa.
Kinoti said the excavators were shipped into the country after fraudsters hacked into the email of the vehicles manufacturer’s company, which is based in London before placing an order for them.
“The shipment was done by JCB International who upon delivering the goods, contacted the brother company in Kenya for payment. It’s then that they learnt that the company doesn’t deal with such goods. Investigations commenced and led to the arrest of the suspect and recovery of the excavators,” said the DCI.
The prime suspect was held in custody ahead of his arraignment.
This comes at a time the field of excavators is being crowded with more manufacturers entering the competition. Chinese firms are increasingly manufacturing excavators putting pressure on traditional heavy machinery manufacturers like Caterpillar, Komatsu and South Korea's Hyundai Heavy.
For instance XCGM, which is now the sixth-largest equipment maker globally has established a huge market in Kenya to tap into the growing demand.
The firm is in Kenya targeting a growing infrastructure works in counties in a drive that look set to intensify a price war in the sale of equipment like excavators, graders and cranes.
The Chinese multinational is seeking a larger share of heavy equipment pie in line with the global trend where it’s eating into the market of dominant operators.
