A suspected fraudster who has been masquerading as a highly trained forensic expert offering tape-lift services in Ridgeways area along Kiambu Road was on Friday, February 14 arraigned following his arrest.

Manace Otieno Ayata had profiled himself to car sellers as a CSI detective working at DCI’s National Forensic Laboratory. To arrest him, real detectives from the forensic department had to disguise themselves as potential customers.

In an incident that occurred on Thursday, February 13, the reportee who had just gifted himself a car for Valentine’s Day enquired from the sellers where he could get the service, and was given Ayata’s contact with directions that he worked at DCI Headquarters.

“Having agreed that he calls Ayata after arriving at the main entrance, the reportee drove all the way but on arrival at the gate failed to reach Ayata on phone. He therefore sought guidance from the security personnel who directed him to the Forensic Lab, where he hoped to meet ‘detective Ayata’,” the DCI reports.

After several missed calls, the reportee approached a CSI officer who happened to be examining a client’s vehicle at the parking yard. Coincidentally, the officer, a Chief Inspector of Police, was offering a tape-lift service.

The officer made numerous calls to colleagues but none happened to have ever heard of Ayata in the department or anywhere within the headquarters.

“But as fate would have it, Ayata, who happened to have stepped away from his phone, called back, right on cue for a showdown with real hawkshaws,” the DCI adds.

The car owner, who by then knew he had been dealing with a con artist, pretended to be still interested in the service. Ayata explained that he had stepped out of office but that he could still offer the service at Ridgeways.

Dramatic arrest

Careful not to put the reportee’s vehicle in the line of a police operation, the detectives drove with the reportee to the agreed location in a government vehicle, and that was when he was arrested.

“Stretching out his hand for a spanner after opening the car’s hood, Ayata’s heart sunk on feeling some cold cuffs massage his wrist. As one waking up from a chloroformic slumber, he realized that the vehicle had a glaring GK sticker right in his eyes. He was whisked away,” the DCI narrates the dramatic arrest.

Upon search, 19 vehicle logbooks, 35 tape-lift reports, assorted driving licenses and National Identification cards were confiscated from him.

Appearing at Kahawa Law Courts, he was released on a KSh500,000 bond with one surety of similar amount, or an alternative cash bail of KSh100,000.

The matter will be coming up for mention on February 28, 2025.

Meanwhile, a team of Serious Crimes detectives have launched a thorough probe into the case, as it is believed that the suspect could be a member of a larger organized criminal ring linked to motor vehicle theft.

What is tape-lifting?

Tape lifting is a thorough vehicle inspection process to ensure that its physical identifiers, such as the chassis number, engine number, and number plates, match the details recorded on its registration documents. 

It is done by lifting the chassis number and engine number with tape and comparing them with those on the vehicle’s registration documents

You need to show up with the car for the DCI officer to confirm the chassis, engine, and number plates. This process helps in preventing the sale of stolen vehicles, logbook forgery and illegal importation of vehicles.