A multi-agency dragnet by detectives from the Operations Actions Team (OAT) has led to the arrest of four suspects implicated in a brazen Local Purchase Order (LPO) forgery scheme that defrauded suppliers goods worth more than Sh3.2 million in Thika town.
The suspects are believed to have masterminded a well-coordinated operation using counterfeit LPOs bearing the official letterhead of Chandaria Ltd, enabling them to fraudulently obtain consignments of Bidco products on two separate occasions.
According to investigators, the breakthrough follows weeks of discreet surveillance, with detectives closely monitoring the syndicate’s movements after receiving reports of suspicious procurement documents circulating among suppliers.
The sting operation was executed after intelligence indicated the group was planning yet another fraudulent pickup. Acting swiftly, detectives intercepted the team and caught them red-handed.
Leading the group was Haron Mwangi Ndungu, who was driving an Isuzu lorry, registration number KDB 249Z, white in colour — the vehicle used as the getaway and transport for the stolen goods. He was apprehended alongside his alleged accomplices: James Nyaga Munyutha, Philip Njenga, and Paul Ngugi.
The four were reportedly on their way to Bidco once more, this time armed with a freshly forged LPO seeking goods valued at Sh1,770,740, before their scheme was disrupted.
All suspects are currently in custody as detectives finalise processing ahead of arraignment. The lorry used in the operation has been detained as an exhibit as investigations continue into the wider network behind the LPO forgery scheme.
Investigators say more arrests could follow as they trace the fraudulent documents’ origin and any possible internal collaborators.
