Four Arrested After Torturing A Victim Lured Though A Dating Site

By Getrude Matayo

Detectives from the Directive of Criminal Investigations DCI have arrested four suspects believed to be part of a notorious syndicate that has been luring unsuspected victims through online dating sites to their dens before torturing and extorting money from them.

The four were arrested on Sunday evening in Ruaka Shopping Centre in Nairobi. They were Bernard Mbunga, Fredrick Mutiso Mutua, Catherine Mumbi Kivuva, and Kelvin Nzioki.

According to the DCI, two of the suspects, Bernard Mbunga and Fredrick Mutiso Mutua was ambushed in a house at Ruaka shopping Centre where they were allegedly found torturing a Turkish national.

Catherine Mumbi Kivuva, who reportedly lured the victim to the said house following an online date, was at the house where the three were immediately arrested.

The fourth suspect; Kelvin Nzioki was arrested at the Ruaka ATM booth, having the victim’s ATM cards and pins ready for transactions besides having obtained some cash through the victim’s M-Pesa.

One of the suspects, Mary Mukii Kioko is said to have met with the victim through the dating site on September 22^nd and lured him to the house in Muimara estate where three other men joined them. The suspects later tortured the victim to coerce him into revealing his ATM and M-Pesa PINS.

According to DCI, it has been established that the first suspect (Bernard Mbunga) was wanted after escaping through a perimeter wall in an earlier incident where an Indian national was robbed in like manner at Imara Daima, before recruiting the new team that has been nabbed today.

“Jointly, the gang tortured the victim forcing him to reveal his ATM and M-Pesa pins after which they withdrew the said amount through various avenues and later dumped him along Mombasa road near Sameer Business Park,” said DCI

The detectives also recovered a cooperative Bank PDQ machine and assorted mobile phones from the suspects, who are in custody pending arraignment.