Sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have arrested the prime suspect in Ksh 151 million Tantalum minerals scam.
The suspect, Ulundu Patrick Lumumba Alias Gabriel Kulonda Alias Lumumba Patrick Byarufu was nabbed by the Operations Support Unit (OSU) after evading detection by Immigration officials at JKIA.
His arrest comes after two containers filled with sand declared as Tantalum minerals were intercepted in the port of Mombasa.
Police said the suspect used a Ugandan Interstate pass to gain entry and upon arrest he was also found in possession of another Congolese Passport.
The detectives in a statement said that a female Chinese national lost Ksh 151 million to the suspect after one of three containers declared to contain tantalum minerals was opened in China, only to be found loaded with drums of sand, triggering investigations at the port of Mombasa, the transit route.
In the preliminary stages, two 20ft containers also containing sand had been found at the Mombasa port, before they intercepted a third one (40ft) at a warehouse still at the port.
“Surpringly, the 40ft container had passed the entire verification processes without any documentation. This totaled to six, the number of containers of sand declared as tantalum minerals,” the statement read.
Detectives have since discovered that already two more containers had been cleared and shipped to Dubai, and efforts are underway to have them intercepted.
Some port officials believed to have compromised security checks to facilitate the illegal transactions are also being investigated.
