Two suspects accused of stealing over Ksh15.6 million from their employer will on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, be arraigned in court to answer.
Judy Muringe Mugo, 41 and Catherine Waithera Ruiru, 26, who are expected to appear before the Kiambu Law Courts are being accused of stealing the aforementioned amount within 18 months.
Mugo and Ruiru who are respectively the Marketing Officer and Receptionist for Goshens Real Estate based in Kiambu’s Ruaka township are accused of defrauding their employer in a case reported on January 23, 2024.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mugo was accused of duping the estate tenants into disregarding the pay bill and bank account stated on their lease agreement forms.
She instead asked them to use a forged office line which she created when remitting monthly rent.
“Being the marketing officer who also acted as liaison with the tenants and charged with the responsibility of issuing receipts to tenants who remitted their bill payments, Judy declared the company paybill and bank account “no longer functional”, before directing that payments be channeled to the OPPO phone and number that the company issued to her for marketing purposes,” DCI added.
Detectives claimed that Mugo would transfer the bills collected to her two personal phone numbers before transacting to her two accounts at Family Bank.
To cover her tracks, detectives noted that Mugo worked in cahoots with Waithera, who is accused of manipulating numbers in the company’s system to make it seem that all tenants cleared their bills.
“For doing this, the 26-year-old partner in crime would receive from Judy her unfair share of the stolen amount. This went on from June 2022 to January 2024,” DCI added.
The suspects whose well-orchestrated scheme lost the company a whooping Ksh15,633,147, were arrested after detectives conducted thorough investigations by recording statements of all affected tenants.
“When the mobile transaction and bank statements were obtained, it was confirmed that indeed the marketing officer would channel the rent received through the office line to her own personal
numbers 0705736* and 0741559, then later channel the same to her Family bank account numbers 042000007 and 052000008. In the establishments, she had also transferred Sh3,442,200 to the receptionist through her (Catherine’s) mobile number 0712840 and also her KCB account number 1250143* within the period in question,” DCI said.
Detectives also discovered that Mugo who was earning a monthly income of Ksh30,000 paid for a Toyota Harrier worth Ksh750,000 on April 14, 2023.
“Search in the NTSA database confirmed that Judy was the legitimate owner of the car until January 25, 2024, a date when Kiambaa detectives summoned her to their offices. In an effort to defeat justice, Judy (who was released on bail pending completion of investigations) had thereafter transferred the vehicle to Andronicus Mbuthia Kamakia,” detectives added.
A search warrant conducted at her home led detectives to the car which was later impounded and detained. The phones belonging to the suspects were also confiscated and submitted to the forensic cybercrime unit for detailed analysis.
