A 30-year-old man has been arrested for defrauding unsuspecting high-ranking officials while pretending to be a well-known journalist.
Julius Gacheru Wangari, alias Chris, was arrested in the Zambezi region of Kikuyu Constituency for impersonating Spice FM radio program presenter Eric Latiff.
According to a statement from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Gacheru, who claims to have a journalism diploma from a prestigious media institution, has been contacting Latiff's guests on his show 'The Situation Room' demanding monetary favors.
According to the DCI, the suspect would start a conversation with guests by thanking them for attending the show before seeking money.
“In the imposture dating back to 2023, the suspect has been personating journalist and radio host Eric Latiff of Standard Group's Spice FM, reaching out to guests hosted by the media personality in his Situation Room show,” the DCI stated.
“While in the guise, the suspect (who must be a religious follower of all the shows hosted by the complainant) has been sending 'thank you' messages to the well-to-do guests after every show, but just as a pick-up line before embarking on his tactical gambits… The targeted victims lost thousands to the get-rich-quick faithful purporting to be Latiff in need of ‘kakitu nimekwama mahali.’
According to the DCI, the con victims included a Principal Secretary, a well-known businessman and politician, a high-ranking director at Kenya Power, and an official from the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya.
Following his arrest, investigators seized communication devices located in his lair, including SIM cards used to send messages to selected victims. They have since been turned over to the Digital Forensic Laboratory for analysis.
The Con claimed to have previously worked for a Christian FM radio station.
He has been charged in the Milimani Law Courts, and detectives have been allowed seven days to keep him at the Nairobi Regional Headquarters while they conduct investigations.
