Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) have arrested a Kenyan woman Pauline Adhiambo Odok alias Rose Omamo over a Ksh300 million gold scam.
Adhiambo has been accused of defrauding a foreigner Southorn Chanthavong, a director of Simong Group Company based in Lao on the pretense of selling him gold. The incident happened last year and has since been on the run.
She was arrested on Thursday at her posh Ololua Dam Estate home in Karen after DCI detectives were tipped off by the public.
“Pauline went into hiding prompting a warrant for her arrest to be issued, in January, 2020.
“Luckily, a few days ago, a concerned member of the public who had seen our appeal for the arrest of Pauline, spotted her and alerted our detectives on her whereabouts,” DCI stated.
Adhiambo was masquerading as a relative to a senior government official which helped her earn trust from her clients who she swindled.
The suspect who was leading a syndicate whose other members have since been arrested traded her business in Kileleshwa’s Kaputei Gardens.
She met Chanthavong here and showed him genuine gold bars which prompted a business agreement to be drafted.
“Alongside her other accomplices who have since been charged, Pauline had lured the victim to an office in Kileleshwa’s affluent Kaputei gardens, where the victim was allegedly shown genuine gold bars in heavy metal boxes and immediately, a deal was struck.
“A flurry of meetings then took place, between 8th and 25th May 2019, after which the victim parted with Sh300 Million, being payment of an undisclosed quantity of gold. According to their deal, the precious metal would be delivered to his home country in Lao.”
However, as soon as the money hit her bank account, Adhiambo’s tricks began and it was after a few “wait for your shipment” response that the Asian tycoon realized he had been conned.
“It is after he had parted with the money being payment for the consignment, that things started going south. Chanthavong, who had been told to wait for his shipment in Lao, a top rice producing country in Southeast Asia, realized that he had been conned after being taken on a wild goose chase for weeks, when the shipment failed to arrive. Immediately the victim reported the matter to detectives,” DCI stated.
She is facing conspiracy to defraud charges among others.
