Police in Marimanti, Tharaka Nithi County, have arrested four suspects accused of posing as officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA) and conning a man out of Sh251,000 in a sophisticated registration scam.
The suspects Peter Muriithi, Catherine Kinyua, Lilian Njeri, and Samuel Mbuthia were nabbed following a report filed by a victim who believed he was registering for genuine SHA membership.
According to investigators, the group lured the victim into surrendering his mobile phone, claiming it was necessary to “complete the registration process.”
Moments later, the victim’s phone went off. When he tried to restore service, he discovered that Sh251,000 had been withdrawn from his Sacco account and transferred to phone numbers linked to the fraudsters.
Officers swiftly launched a sting operation that led to the suspects’ arrest and the recovery of incriminating evidence, including SHA-branded T-shirts, name tags, membership cards, leaflets, multiple SIM cards, and a Toyota Prado (registration number KDP 267C) believed to have been used in their operations. A second number plate (KDS 399C) was also found in the vehicle, deepening suspicions of wider criminal activity.
Police say the operation exposed a well-coordinated racket designed to exploit public trust in government initiatives such as the new SHA program.
“The suspects had created an elaborate setup, complete with official-looking materials, to make their scheme appear legitimate,” a police source said.
The four are currently being held at Marimanti Police Station, awaiting arraignment. Detectives have also launched further investigations to trace additional accomplices and identify other potential victims of the scam.
Authorities are urging members of the public to verify the identity of officials representing public institutions and avoid sharing personal or financial information with unverified agents.
The post Four arrested for impersonating SHA officials in KSh 251,000 fraud scheme appeared first on TV47 Digital.
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