Detectives in Mombasa have arrested two suspects accused of orchestrating an elaborate online love scam that left a British national Ksh 800,000 poorer.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the main suspect, Samira Mumbi Kiarie, allegedly lured the victim through a dating platform, where she spent months winning his trust and professing her love before inviting him to her apartment in Nyali.
The DCI reports that shortly after the foreigner arrived, two men stormed into the apartment. One posed as Samira’s enraged husband, accusing the visitor of breaking up his marriage, while the other introduced himself as a police officer and flashed a fake ID.
The terrified man was threatened with arrest and pressured into sending Ksh 800,000 to mobile numbers provided by the suspects. Once the money was transferred, the gang escorted him out of the apartment then disappeared into the night.
Following swift investigations, detectives tracked down and arrested Samira and one of her alleged accomplices, Paul Webster Mangeni. The pair is said to be part of a wider criminal network that preys on unsuspecting foreigners through online dating sites, luring them into short-stay apartments before robbing them.
“The suspects are members of a syndicate that targets tourists and expatriates by creating fake romantic relationships,” the DCI stated.
Both Samira and Mangeni are in police custody awaiting arraignment, as officers continue to hunt down their third accomplice, who remains at large.
Authorities have urged the public to exercise caution when engaging in online relationships, warning that such digital love scams are on the rise.
