Sh2.4m Machakos land fraud suspect arrested after posing as genuine owner

NAIROBI,Kenya, Sep 6-Machakos man who allegedly used a stolen identity, forged title deed and fake national ID to sell land he did not own for Sh2.4 million has been arrested, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has said.

Detectives based in Kalama Sub-County arrested David Maitha following investigations into the land fraud in which he allegedly masqueraded as Joel Musembi Kiilu, the purported owner of a prime parcel along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.

According to the DCI, Maitha allegedly presented the buyer with a forged title deed and a fake national identity card bearing Kiilu’s name in a bid to convince him that he was the legitimate owner of the property.

“Exercising caution, the unsuspecting buyer conducted an official search at the Machakos Land Registry,” the DCI said.

The search reportedly confirmed that the property was registered in the name of Joel Musembi Kiilu, giving the buyer confidence to proceed with the transaction.

The buyer subsequently entered into a sale agreement before a Machakos lawyer and paid the purported vendor Sh2.4 million.

The deal, however, unravelled shortly after the money changed hands.

The man posing as Kiilu allegedly stopped responding to the buyer’s calls, failed to honour scheduled meetings and disappeared as the parties prepared to complete the post-sale procedures.

The buyer then reported the matter to police, prompting detectives to launch investigations into the transaction.

The inquiry established that the person who had presented himself as Kiilu was allegedly David Maitha, who detectives say had used identity theft to facilitate the fraudulent sale.

The suspect was eventually arrested in Mtito Andei during an intelligence-led operation, according to the DCI.

Maitha remained in police custody as detectives processed him ahead of his arraignment in court.

The DCI cautioned members of the public to exercise heightened vigilance when purchasing land, stressing that verification of ownership documents should be accompanied by confirmation of the seller’s true identity.

“Beyond verifying the authenticity of documents at land registries, buyers must verify the true identity of the individuals behind those documents,” the DCI said.