The gang behind a series of gold scams in Nairobi has shifted to Mombasa where they scammed a Chinese businessman of Sh151 million pretending they would send him tantalum minerals.
This is after detectives from Nairobi intercepted two containers in Mombasa declared as tantalum minerals from Congo that were to be shipped to China.
The Chinese businessman deposited Sh151 million, only for one container to land in China loaded with soil instead of the said minerals.
This prompted him to report the matter to police.
The fake minerals had already been paid for but the supposed to be new owners were unaware it was a scam.
Inside the containers the owners thought were packaged with the rare minerals were heaps of soil.
Tantalum is a rare transition metal that is highly resistant to corrosion and has important applications in electronic equipment.
Detectives from Operations Support Unit of DCI pursued the case to the Mombasa port where they intercepted and broke into the two containers only to find they contained soil.
The investigations have linked the incident to fake gold scammers who have been operating in Nairobi’s Kilimani area using Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
They are suspected to have shifted operations to Mombasa and colluding with officials of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), officials said.
The discovery of the soil in China which was thought to be the rare minerals from Congo prompted an investigation leading detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to intercept the consignment at the Mombasa container terminal (MCT).
The DCI officers said the two containers were just about to be shipped to China as well when they intercepted them.
The containers were opened, and inside were reconditioned metallic drums which were loaded with sand as tantalum minerals.
Police said a suspect by the name Lumumba Patrick who is said to be collaborating with fake gold scammers in Congo and Uganda is behind the scam.
The multi-agency team has taken samples of the soil for further investigations and analysis.
Police have been warning foreigners against greed to make quick money by getting perceived cheap minerals including gold.
This is after tens of foreigners were conned by scammers based in Nairobi in a shocking series of events.
The foreigners are advised to seek advice from their respective embassies in Nairobi.
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