Two Suspected Land Fraudsters Arrested at DCI HQs for Attempting to Bribe Officer
Two suspected land grabbers have been arrested for attempting to bribe a DCI detective.
Jackson Mwangi Wambui and Elijah Macharia are said to have tried offering a detective at the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU) offices some Sh200,000 to go slow on a case in which they are accused of attempting to grab a 0.2026 hectares parcel of land at Thome V area.
The suspects sought a two-month delay in the ongoing investigations, within which he would have obtained a “fake original” documentation of the land.
But according to the DCI, the suspects have been on the unit’s radar for a while.
In this particular case, Mwangi is said to have fraudulently erected a perimeter wall on a piece of land located behind Roasters, Thika Road. He and his accomplices were ejected in December 2022 after the case was reported to LFIU.
Sleuths later found that the land in question belonged to a deceased Kenyan whose wife and two children were being threatened by the suspect. The family had reported the matter at the Kasarani Police Station.
LAND FRAUDSTERS NABBED IN BRIBERY ATTEMPT WITHIN DCI HEADQUARTERS.
Jackson Mwangi Wambui, a renowned serial land fraudster believed to be part of a dreaded well-organized land grabbing cartel that targets elderly white residents in posh Nairobi suburbs is in our custody… pic.twitter.com/5OBHYQ6dJL
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) December 8, 2023
In a statement, DCI said that the suspects disappeared until recently when they requested to meet the investigating officer at the DCI Headquarters along Kiambu Road.
“Once in the office, they pleaded with him to halt the investigation process as they had found a way of acquiring fake documents, but they needed January and February to wind up the process. “You can then take us to court any time in March. We will know how to handle it there,” they said,” said DCI.
“For the favour, Macharia placed Sh200,000 on the table as a tip to the officer, all this time unaware that the office they had been ushered into had mounted cameras that recorded all the goings on. DCI Operations detectives moved in and whisked them away with the exhibits for processing and arraignment.”
The case file has since been forwarded to the ODPP in Kiambu for directions to have the suspects appear in court.
The ODPP directed that the duo be released on Sh200,000 cash bail to allow time to peruse the file.
“Preliminary criminal analysis conducted by the DCI Online and Digital Platforms Unit reveals numerous cases of land fraud implicating Jackson’s cartel, including the attempted grabbing of Mr Richard Hooper’s Karen home in January 18, 2023 where he personated to be the Deputy OCS Karen Police Station,” said DCI.
“The case is pending at Ngong Law Courts. The same syndicate has also featured in land grabbing documentaries, including the Uncensored Africa documentary “Title Deals” where scores cry foul play after purchasing land parcels only to be fenced off by the such cartels as Jackson’s.”