Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a Cameroonian national believed to be the mastermind of a high-stakes fake gold syndicate that defrauded a Canadian investor of USD 618,000 (approximately Sh80.3 million).

According to the DCI, the elaborate scam began in November 2024, when the victim, still in Canada at the time, was drawn into what appeared to be a legitimate transaction involving the sale of 250 kilograms of gold.

Enticed by the prospect of hefty profits, the investor flew to Kenya in April 2025 to finalize the deal.

Upon his arrival, the investor was welcomed into a luxurious office space a façade carefully curated by the fraudsters to project the image of a thriving, reputable gold trading business.

Inside, he was introduced to a seemingly professional network of individuals, all playing their roles convincingly in the grand deception.

Convinced by their act, the investor handed over USD 618,000 in anticipation of receiving the gold consignment. It wasn’t until much later that he realized he had been scammed.

Following the filing of a complaint, detectives from the DCI's Operation Support Unit (OSU) launched an intensive investigation. Leveraging forensic evidence, the team tracked down and arrested the suspect in Nairobi.

A search conducted on the suspect's vehicle and residence in Belfair Park, Dagoretti, yielded critical evidence linked to the operation.

Among the items recovered were gold-related transaction documents, official-looking seals, two laptops, three mobile phones, and a staff ID from a fictitious company, Sunshine Minerals Ltd, identifying the suspect as an “Engineer Mining.”

The suspect is currently in custody as detectives pursue more suspects believed to be part of the syndicate.

This arrest follows closely on the heels of a separate raid just two days earlier, in which four other individuals suspected of running a similar gold scam were apprehended in Gigiri, along Whispers Avenue.

During the operation, detectives seized a gold smelting machine, multiple rubber stamps bearing names of shell companies including Alaska Express Freight Group Ltd, Longcrane Logistics Limited, and Kakan Traders and Company along with documents purportedly bearing stamps from the East African Community.

Preliminary investigations have linked Alaska Express Freight Group Ltd to an earlier fraud complaint involving two other Canadian nationals who were conned out of USD 37,500 (Sh4.85 million).

DCI says the crackdown is part of a broader effort to dismantle transnational fraud networks that have increasingly targeted foreign investors under the guise of gold trade in Kenya. Investigations remain ongoing.