Thursday, June 13, 2024 - A 30-year-old man, who has been siphoning money from high-ranking individuals by impersonating renowned journalists and show hosts, is now cooling his heels in a city police cell.
Julius Gacheru Wangari alias Chris was flushed from his base at the Zambezi area of Kikuyu in Kiambu County, and the communication gadgets used in the diddles were seized.
In the imposture dating back to 2023, the suspect has been personating journalist and radio host Eric Latiff of Standard Group's Spice FM, reaching out to guests hosted by the media personality in his Situation Room show.
While in the guise, the suspect (who must be a religious follower of all the shows hosted by the complainant) has been sending 'thank you' messages to the well-to-do guests after every show, but just as a pickup line before embarking on his tactical gambits.
The targeted victims who lost thousands to the get-rich-quick faithful purporting to be Latiff in need of "kakitu nimekwama mahali" include a Principal Secretary, a renowned businessman and politician, a high-ranking director at KPLC, an official at Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya among others.
Upon arrest and brief interrogation, the suspect alleged to be a diploma holder in journalism from a renowned media institution in the country and previously worked with a religious FM radio.
Crucial evidence including the SIM cards used to send messages to targeted victims and receive the solicited money was found on him and have since been surrendered to the Digital Forensic Laboratory for analysis.
Meanwhile, a Milimani court has granted detectives at the Nairobi Regional Headquarters 7 days to complete investigations.
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