SHA impostors arrested after allegedly defrauding a man of Sh251,000

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested four suspects accused of posing as officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA) and defrauding a man of Sh251,000 in a suspected registration scam.

According to a DCI report, the suspects--Peter Muriithi, Catherine Kinyua, Lilian Njeri, and Samuel Mbuthia--allegedly approached the victim with a promise to facilitate his SHA membership registration.

He was reportedly persuaded to surrender his mobile phone “to complete the process,” after which the phone went off.

Moments later, the man discovered that Sh251,000 had been withdrawn from his Sacco account and transferred to mobile numbers linked to the suspects.

Following the report, detectives from Marimanti Police Station launched an operation that led to the arrest of the four individuals.

A search conducted during the operation recovered several items believed to have been used in the alleged scheme, including SHA-branded T-shirts, name tags, membership cards, informational leaflets, and multiple SIM cards.

A Toyota Prado (registration number KDP #6#C), suspected to have facilitated the fraudulent activity, was impounded. Another number plate, KDS 3#9C, was also recovered.

The suspects are currently in police custody pending further investigations and arraignment.

The DCI has urged members of the public to remain cautious and to verify the identity of individuals claiming to represent government agencies before sharing personal or financial information.