Detectives have finally arrested four suspects in connection with the kidnapping and robbery of a foreign couple, following a fake gold decoy operation in Nairobi's Runda area on October 28, 2023.

The incident involved a heinous crime in which an Australian man and his Ugandan wife were lured to Kenya for a fraudulent gold business deal.

The victims were subjected to a terrifying ordeal that culminated in the theft of over Sh13.5 million, including cash and valuable jewellery.

The suspects, identified as Jack Ouma Okwiri, Nashon Otieno Angudha, Felix Ochieng' Nyongesa, and Ronald Arani Kirera, were apprehended in a meticulously executed police operation.

Okwiri, Angudha, and Nyongesa were arrested at The Social House Nairobi Hotel in Lavington, while the fourth suspect, Ronald Arani Kirera, was nabbed at an office setup building in Runda Glory Valley no. 685.

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The scheme began when a contact person, who went by the name 'Raymond from England,' connected the unsuspecting couple with Felix Ochieng Nyongesa, who posed as the seller of the gold.

After several WhatsApp exchanges, Felix instructed the couple to meet him at the Village Market in Gigiri, Nairobi, on October 28, where the purported business deal was to take place.

Upon their arrival at the agreed location, Felix dispatched a driver to pick up the couple in a Toyota Prado.

Unbeknownst to the victims, they were driven to the aforementioned office setting building in Runda, where more than ten assailants were lying in wait.

The victims' initial expectations of a legitimate business transaction quickly turned into a nightmare.

They were subjected to a brutal assault, with the man enduring severe beatings and strangulation, while his wife was handcuffed, repeatedly slapped, and subjected to inappropriate physical contact.

The assailants made off with the $60,000 in cash that the couple had brought with them, in addition to jewellery valued at over $30,000.

Injured and traumatized, the couple was forced back into the Prado and later abandoned at Rehema House within Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).

Good Samaritans came to their aid and rushed them to a South B hospital for medical treatment before they reported the incident to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Gigiri.

The DCI swiftly launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators and deployed crime research detectives to gather evidence.

Forensic investigation led to the arrest of the four suspects and the recovery of crucial items from their Runda office.

These confiscated items included money counting machines, metallic boxes, forged certificates of mines, customs reflector jackets, military boots, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) certificates, stamps, a Kenyan flag, and counterfeit gold bars.

As investigations continue, the DCI issued a warning about the rising prevalence of gold scams and related frauds.

The public is cautioned about the existence of well-organized criminal networks involved in such activities.

Nevertheless, the DCI assures the public that they are resolute in their efforts to combat these fraudulent schemes, and justice will prevail over the perpetrators' impunity.