Friday, March 29, 2024

How billionaire lost Sh. 10 million to conmen posing as President Uhuru

Naushad Merali Net Worth: A renowned Nairobi billionaire lost Sh. 10 million in a strange and daring case of fraud.

The billionaire known as Naushad Merali lost the money to conmen who successfully mimicked President Uhuru Kenyatta.

William Simiyu, David Luganya, Gilbert Kirunja, Duncan Muchai, Isaac Wajekeche, Joseph Waswa and Anthony Wafula hatched an almost fool proof ‘State House’ syndicate, which resulted in Mr. Merali parting with the money.

Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ooko heard that Mr. Merali first got a call from 0722 208842. The caller identified himself as President Uhuru Kenyatta. The caller had the same voice and tenor as the President. The caller then pitched a land deal in Milimani, Nairobi, to Merali.

How billionaire lost Sh. 10 million to conmen posing as President Uhuru

Since Merali was not in the country, he directed Sameer Africa Finance Director Akif Hamid Butt to process the money, not knowing that the caller was duping him. The caller then went ahead and gave an Equity Bank account into which he wired Sh. 10 million.

The money was a facilitation fee so that the president would assist Merali in purchasing the land.

“The complainant (Butt) was contacted by fraudsters using several telephone numbers purportedly from President Uhuru Kenyatta. The complainant realised he had been dealing with fraudsters after he had lost his Sh. 10 million,” the court was told.

According to court paper, investigators were seeking to establish whether the con game had other players, including State House staff.

The police asked the magistrate to hold the seven suspects arrested on February 22-23 of this month in a bid to get information on who else was in the plot to obtain money by false pretences.

“Due to the complexity of the investigations and the number of suspects involved, including some who are still at large, it is expected that the investigation will involve going through voluminous documents including bank documents and call data records analysis,” the police asked the court. “The nature of investigations is complex since it requires communication data from several service providers, which requires time.”

Police have also seized a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Toyota Mark X, a Toyota Axio and a Toyota Crown in connection with the syndicate. The court ordered the suspects be held in Muthaiga Police Station awaiting a ruling on their bail application on Tuesday next week.

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