Five suspected fraudsters arrested for selling fake phones in Narok

Police in Narok County have arrested five suspected fraudsters who were reportedly duping unsuspecting locals into buying fake phones.

Confirming the incident, Narok sub-county Police Commander Fredrick Siundu told Citizen Digital that the fraudsters, four men and a woman, would lure their victims with free giveaways before informing them that they were selling phones at a discounted price.

However, the phones would stop working a few days after purchase.

"We have arrested four men and a woman who were conning area residents. They had managed to defraud three people by the time we arrested them but we believe that there could be more victims in the area," he said.

According to Mr. Siundu, police acted on a tip off from the public and set a trap for the five by having plain clothes officers approach them seeking to buy the fake phones.

They were arrested immediately after completing the transactions.

"We urge any persons who might have been defrauded by the conmen to come and identify them so that we can then proceed with legal action. I'd' like to warn any other criminals operating on the same modus operandi that we will catch up to them," said Mr. Siundu.

Alex Saruni, one of the victims who lost Ksh.25,000 to the fraudsters, said that he was in dire need of a phone when he was approached by the suspects.

After agreeing on the price, Saruni soon after noticed that the phone did not have any cell reception despite inserting a SIM card into the device.

"These fraudsters managed to trick me into buying a fake phone. After realising it was fake I wanted to keep the phone and look for another one but as I was doing rounds in town I heard other people complaining about the same thing and I decided to report to police," he said.

"I thank the police for intervening and nabbing these criminals who are giving Narok County a bad name."