A daring quartet of con artists masquerading as officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA) has been apprehended after swindling a victim of Sh251,000 in a well-choreographed scam.

The crafty quartet, Peter Muriithi, Catherine Kinyua, Lilian Njeri, and Samuel Mbuthia, were arrested following a complaint from a man who thought he was signing up for a legitimate SHA membership. In a slick move, the fraudsters convinced him to surrender his mobile phone under the pretext of “completing the registration process.”

Moments later, his world turned upside down. His phone suddenly went off, and attempts to restore service were futile. Sensing trouble, he rushed to his Sacco only to be hit with the devastating news that his account had been wiped clean. A total of Sh251,000 had been siphoned out and transferred to mobile numbers linked to the impostors.

In a swift move, Law Enforcement Officers from Marimanti launched an operation that led to the arrest of the four suspects.

A meticulous search unearthed a trove of incriminating items, including SHA-branded T-shirts, name tags, membership cards, informational leaflets and multiple SIM cards. A motor vehicle, KDP 267C, Toyota Prado, believed to have been used in their fraudulent operations was impounded. Also recovered is a number plate KDS 399C, raising further suspicion about their activities.

The four suspects are cooling their heels in Marimanti Police Station, undergoing processing pending arraignment.

Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing to unearth possible accomplices and other victims who may have fallen prey to the gang’s deceitful tactics.