Caroline Wanjiku’s phones traced to a tout, 17-year-old student

By Erick Abuga | 3yrs ago | 2 min read

Caroline Wanjiku Maina [Photo: Courtesy]

Two suspects have been arrested in Kisii in connection with the murder of Nairobi businesswoman Caroline Wanjiku Maina. Investigators yesterday arrested the two at Keboye village in Kisii County.

Acting on forensic intelligence, the team led by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Dagoretti, the team proceeded to the said village in Suneka sub-county, where two mobile phones linked to the deceased were tracked down. The first phone a Samsung Galaxy A20S was traced to a matatu tout working with a Sacco plying Kibera route in Nairobi.

According to the DCI officials, a 17-year-old male student at a school in Kisii was arrested for being in possession of the second phone an Oppo brand. The mobile phones with Safaricom lines registered under Wanjiku’s particulars, were used by the deceased for online transactions and communication.

Matatu tout

Detectives are trying to establish how the two suspects got possession of the handsets. The student will provide vital information on where he bought the phone. “They will remain in our custody assisting with further investigations,” a report from the DCI says.

Ms Wanjiku went missing on February 12 after visiting a bank in Ngara, Nairobi. She had withdrawn Sh350,000 from her account. A week later, her body was found in a thicket in Kitengela, Kajiado county.

Preliminary investigations by the police say the ex-banker, who left her job as a loans officer at a local bank to pursue business, had received the money a week before she disappeared. Investigators believe that the money could have been the source of her woes.

Wanjiku had made a call to a female friend who was to guide her on how to boost her Sacco shares. Investigations reveal that at Ngara, Wanjiku was forced into a black saloon car in which the suspect was waiting. Her body was found in Kajiado five days after she had been reported missing. An autopsy report indicates that she died of head injuries inflicted with a blunt object.

Police investigations have pointed to a possibility that Wanjiku’s death could be linked to a threatening text message sent to her phone. The investigators are also looking into the possibility that her death could be linked to a deal gone sour.