Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested Steve Okoth Odek alias David Bett for looting Ksh33.1 million from a foreign national in a fake gold deal that involved over 500 kgs of fake gold.

In a statement on Sunday December 7, 2024, the DCI reported that detectives drawn from the Operations Support Unit arrested Steve Okoth Odek for scamming a foreign national a staggering USD 256,000 (Ksh33.1 million) in a fake gold deal.

Investigations revealed that the victim entered into two separate gold purchase agreements with the scammer where on February 6th, 2024 he was to purchase 500kg of gold and on March 14th, 2024 another 580kg with each kilogram priced at USD 40,000.

Additionally, the detectives established that the second contract was signed after the first deal failed where the scammer promised to deliver the gold only after securing certain conditions, including the buyer’s responsibility for jet chartering, payment of taxes and insurance.

Despite these terms, the scammer once more failed to deliver the gold and in an attempt to keep the scam going, he provided 20kg of  “gold bars” as collateral, which were stored at MySafe Vault. 

At this point, the victim remained unaware that he was being scammed, and ended up paying a total of USD 256,000 through two law firms; Owano & Associates Advocates ($126,000) and Alata & Co. Advocates ($139,200).

After receiving the money, the scammer attempted to defraud the foreign national  an additional USD 188,080 which failed as his fraudulent dealings had been uncovered and a report made to the police.

Swinging into action, the detectives uncovered the truth, recovering the 20kg of “gold” that had been provided as collateral. 

“A thorough analysis revealed that the bars were composed of copper, zinc, and tin, with no trace of gold but just a well-executed scam,” read part of the DCI statement.

Further investigation revealed that the seller’s company, PCL Natural Resources Limited, was not licensed by the Ministry of Mining to deal with gold or any precious metals. 

With this crucial information, the detectives were able to track down the scammer, Steve Okoth Odek, who was arrested and processed, pending arraignment in court.