A suspect believed to be behind a fake money printing syndicate that has rocked Eldoret for months has been arrested and is being probed by police investigators.
According to police, the 34-year-old suspect was arrested in Kiambaa area, Uasin Gishu County on Monday evening after he was tracked for several days. The suspect identified as Allan Kipruto was found with fake currencies including dollars, pounds, and Kenyan Shilling notes valued at over Sh45 million in his house near Moi University Annex. Officers led by Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Johnstone Ipara also seized money printing machines from the suspect.
A safe box suspected to be used in the storage of the fake notes and briefcases used to carry the bills were also recovered during the operation. Mr. Ipara who led the operation said officers had been trailing the suspect through the weekend after a tip-off by members of the public who had complained of increasing cases of fake currencies in circulation. He said unsuspecting prominent traders and maize farmers have fallen victims of the fake money syndicate.
The police boss said the officers have received several cases of dubious transactions involving fake currencies in Eldoret town in recent months.
“We are in the stage of cracking down the suspects. Police have been trailing the suspect and his tricks came to an end,” said Mr Ipara.
According to Mr Ipara, police traced him to a popular club along the Eldoret-Nakuru Highway at around 2am on Monday before monitoring his movements and later arresting him. The police commander said the currencies were valued at Sh45.8 million in total, adding that several other suspects are being sought by the police.
“He (the suspect) was entertaining himself at the club and after the arrest, he led our officers to his residence. We established his house was the place where the fake money was printed and where the suspects held meetings,” Mr Ipara said.
He called on traders and farmers who have fallen victims of the fake money syndicate to report to police stations to aid officers in investigations. Also seized during the operation were fake currencies that had not been fully printed. Mr Ipara said Tuesday’s arrest was the third case of fake money printing in recent months.
“We have sought more time to probe the suspect and shall arraign him as soon as we conclude investigations. We are still looking for other suspects,” he said.
He said the police have also rolled out a crackdown on suspects behind the production of fake documents including driving licenses and title deeds.
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