Man arrested after defrauding Chinese woman Ksh.151M in fake minerals scam

The alleged mastermind behind a Ksh.151 million scam involving the false presentation of sand as tantalum minerals has been arrested by detectives from the DCI's Operations Support Unit (OSU).

Ulundu Patrick Lumumba, who also goes by the aliases Gabriel Kulonda Ilungu and Lumumba Patrick Byarufu, was apprehended in Nairobi after sleuths intercepted two containers filled with sand declared as tantalum minerals at the Mombasa Port.

Prior to his arrest, the suspect had arrived in Nairobi from Entebbe, Uganda, successfully avoiding detection by Immigration officials at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, who had placed a stop order on his passport bearing the name Gabriel Kulonda Ilungu.

"Determined to sneak back into the country and further his felonious activities, the suspect used a Ugandan Interstate pass card no. 020841009 in the names of Lumumba Patrick Byarufu, and upon arrest was also found in possession of yet another Congolese Passport number OPO792312 in the names of Patrick Ulundu Lumumba," the DCI said in a statement.

According to the DCI, the suspect defrauded a Chinese national of Ksh.151 million by substituting one of three containers she had requested for with sand, instead of tantalum minerals.

"In the case he is implicated, a female Chinese national lost Ksh.151 million to the suspect's machinations after one of three containers declared to contain tantalum minerals was opened in China, only to be found loaded with drums of sand, triggering investigations at the port of Mombasa, the transit route," the DCI said in a statement on X.

"In the preliminary stages, two 20ft containers also containing sand had been found at the Mombasa port, before hawk-eyed sleuths intercepted a third one (40ft) at a warehouse still at the port. Surprisingly, the 40ft container had passed the entire verification processes without any documentation. This totalled to six, the number of containers of sand declared as tantalum minerals."

Detectives also uncovered that two additional sand-filled containers had been cleared and ferried to Dubai prior to the suspect's arrest with efforts underway to intercept them.

"Some port officials believed to have compromised security checks to facilitate the illegal transactions are also being investigated," said the DCI.

Following the suspect's arrest, the DCI moved to freeze the bank account the Ksh.151 million was wired to, only to discover that Lumumba's associates had successfully transferred Ksh.49 million from the pool.

"The syndicate had already obtained over Ksh.49 million along the way by working with suspected rogue bank officials who are under active investigations," said the DCI.

"Even as investigations regarding the fake consignment continue, a court battle between OSU detectives and influential members of the scamming ring is underway, as they fight to have the intercepted millions wired to accounts recently opened with a local bank."

The suspect will be arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts today.