Mombasa — Detectives in Nyali have arrested a woman following a staged robbery against her British boyfriend in an ambush by her 'husband'.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspect, Samira Mumbi Kiarie, alias Samira, lured the unsuspecting foreigner to her Nyali apartment under the pretext of a romantic date, after months of online courtship.
Moments after the Briton arrived, the door allegedly flew open and two men stormed in--one posing as Samira's enraged husband, the other flashing a fake police ID, the DCI reported on Tuesday.
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The "husband" accused the foreigner of wrecking his marriage, while the impostor cop threatened to arrest him. Fearing the worst, the terrified man was coerced into transferring Sh800,000 to mobile phone numbers provided by the gang.
Once the transaction was complete, the trio reportedly escorted the Briton out before disappearing into the night.
DCI investigators later traced and arrested Samira and one of her accomplices, Paul Webster Mangeni, alias Paulo, after a forensic trail led to their hideout.
Detectives say the two are part of a notorious syndicate targeting foreigners through dating sites before luring them into rented apartments and robbing them.
Both suspects are in custody awaiting arraignment as a manhunt continues for the third suspect still on the run.
"Investigations have established the suspects are part of a network that traps foreigners online and stages fake robberies to extort them," DCI said.