Police arrest three suspects with fake notes valued at Sh1.7 million in Diani, Kwale County

Police arrest three suspects with fake notes valued at Sh1.7 million in Diani, Kwale County

A covert police operation in Diani, Kwale County led to the arrest of three suspects involved in a counterfeiting ring that has been flooding Mombasa and nearby areas with fake cash.

The suspects, Fadhili Lawrence, Atemba Lawrence, and Electrine Okwako, were apprehended after police followed forensic leads to a secret hideout in Diani, where the illegal trade was reported to thrive.

Inside, detectives found Sh1.7 million in counterfeit money.
The fake Sh1,000 notes were hidden in a laptop bag with a white ribbon labelled “CBK 1000,” a misleading detail meant to suggest authenticity.

Preliminary investigations show that the three suspects are key cogs in a broader criminal network believed to be distributing fake cash along the coast.

The three were detained before their court appearance, as officers continue the search for other members of the syndicate who are still at large. Police said the money would have ruined the economy.

Elsewhere, a notorious online cryptocurrency fraudster will today grace the court corridors after a meticulous manhunt launched by Kilifi North detectives, netted him at Kiamunyi area, Nakuru County.

Bavon Onyancha Masese (alias Abdirahaman Abdikarim, alias Jamie Damon) luck spectacularly ran out when investigators discovered he had swindled Sh9 million from a Kilifi woman.

This revelation immediately put him on the detectives’ radar, with the seasoned gumshoes trailing the perpetrator, effectively halting his scamming streak.

Further investigations linked Bavon to multiple digital transactions and unlawful cryptocurrency operations used to defraud victims across the country, leading to his prosecution at the Kilifi Law Courts.

Bavon will be facing several indictments related to his dubious activities, including money laundering, unauthorised registration of SIM cards, obtaining money by false pretence, and conspiracy to defraud.