Detectives in Kiambu County are detaining an imposter for defrauding unsuspecting high-ranking personalities while posing as a renowned journalist.
30-year-old Julius Gacheru Wangari alias Chris was nabbed at Zambezi area of Kikuyu Constituency for impersonating Spice FM radio show host Eric Latiff.
According to a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) statement, Gacheru – who claims to be a diploma holder in journalism from a renowned media institution – has been reaching out to Latiff’s guests on his ‘The Situation Room’ show and requesting monetary favours.
In the well-calculated deception, the DCI revealed that the suspect would cleverly initiate a conversation with guests by thanking them for appearing on the show, before later requesting money from them.
“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,” the DCI stated.
“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 pick-up line before embarking on his tactical gambits… The targeted victims lost thousands to the get-rich-quick faithful purporting to be Latiff in need of ‘kakitu nimekwama mahali.’”
The DCI noted that a Principal Secretary, a renowned businessman and politician, a high-ranking director at Kenya Power, and an official of the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya are some of the people who fell prey to the con.
Following his arrest, sleuths confiscated communication gadgets found in his hideout including used SIM cards used to send messages to targeted victims. They have since been surrendered to the Digital Forensic Laboratory for analysis.
The con also claimed he had previously worked with a religious FM radio.
He has since been arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts and detectives granted 7 days to detain him at the Nairobi Regional Headquarters as they complete investigations.
