Editor's Review

The suspect was intercepted by immigration officials at the Busia border.

Puati Poba Dally, a prime suspect in the $100,000 gold scam (Sh 13.1 million) has been arrested while attempting to sneak into Kenya.

In a statement on Thursday, May 9, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the Congolese national was intercepted by immigration officials at the Busia border.

“Puati Poba Dally, 35 was intercepted by immigration officials following a stop order issued in September 2023 when the complaint was lodged at the Operations Support Unit offices in Nairobi,’ read the statement in part.

According to the DCI, the suspect in 2023 scammed a Ghanaian national Sh 13.1 million after posing as a gold businessman from Nigeria.

“In the course of their interaction, Puati learned that the victim was interested in the purchase and sale of gold, where he promised to introduce him to dealers in Uganda whereafter he could sell the gold in Dubai,” DCI stated.

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The victim flew to Uganda with the money on August 1, 2023, where Puati introduced him to the alleged dealers only identified as Ben and Hassan.

Photo collage of Puati Poba Dally

Weeks after the meeting with the three individuals, the victim was milked to the tune of $ 71,300 (Sh10.7 million) in the name of documentation of 10kg of gold, non-criminality certification, melting, and taxation. Payment for the gold which was agreed at USD 33,000 per kg was to be made upon delivery to Dubai.

“Confident that he was done with all the logistical procedures, the victim boarded a UAE-bound flight on August 9 ahead of his cargo. He would days later book a flight back to Uganda on August 13 to check his gold, only to be told that it was being held at customs offices in Kenya where it had been erroneously flown through,” DCI added.

The victim flew to Kenya and met Puati's two accomplices identified as Daniel and Lucy, who fleeced him another $ 30,000 (over Sh4.3 million) in tax and clearance of non-existent gold.

The victim was put on a flight back to Dubai on the pretext that they were having a flight attendant secure his safe containing gold.

After learning he had been scammed the suspect uncontrollably screamed in the plane and was ejected from the flight and his complaint was recorded.

The DCI detectives are interrogating the prime suspect with a view to arrest other members of the criminal syndicate.