How DCI Trapped Fake Detective Trying to Steal a Valentine’s Car Gift

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested a man posing as a highly trained forensic expert purporting to offer tape-lift services to unsuspecting car sellers at Ridgeways Centre along Kiambu Road.

According to a DCI statement, the suspect Manace Otieno Ayata claimed to be a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) attached to the DCI National Forensic Laboratory.

Investigations into his case started after a car owner, who had just purchased a vehicle as a Valentine’s gift, sought tape-lift services and was directed to Ayata under the false pretence that he worked at DCI Headquarters.

Upon arriving at the gate, the car owner could not reach Ayata, prompting him to seek assistance from security personnel.

DCI Arrests Man Masquerading as One of Their Forensic Expert

He was then directed to the DCI Forensic Lab. While making inquiries there, the car owner met a Chief Inspector of Police performing a legitimate tape-lift service.

Suspicious of Ayata’s identity, the officer conducted inquiries among his colleagues and discovered that no one by that name was known within the department.

Meanwhile, Ayata, having stepped away from his phone, later returned the call from the car owner and, unaware of the ongoing investigation, suggested they meet at Ridgeways Centre.

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To protect the victim’s vehicle during the impending police operation, detectives accompanied him in a government vehicle to the location. Upon arrival, Ayata prepared to begin his fraudulent forensic procedure.

As soon as he reached for his tools, detectives handcuffed him. A search of his belongings uncovered 19 vehicle logbooks, 35 forged tape-lift reports, multiple driving licenses, and national identification cards, raising suspicions of a larger criminal syndicate.

Ayata appeared at the Kahawa Law Courts on Friday, February 14, where he was released on a Ksh 500,000 bond with a surety of the same amount or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 100,000. His case is scheduled for mention on February 28, 2025.

DCI Arrests Three Individuals Over Multi-Million Shilling Warehouse Heist

Meanwhile, a team of Serious Crimes detectives has launched a deeper investigation into Ayata’s activities, suspecting he could be part of an organized criminal ring linked to motor vehicle theft and fraud.

Elsewhere, detectives from the DCI arrested three suspects linked to a series of warehouse break-ins and thefts amounting to millions of shillings in Nairobi and its environs.

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In a statement released on Friday, February 14, the DCI Nairobi Region confirmed the arrest of the suspects, who are believed to have been behind a heist where goods worth Ksh 23.8 million were stolen from a warehouse.

The investigation was launched following a complaint lodged at Industrial Area Police Station on February 3, 2025, detailing the warehouse burglary.

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