DCI hunting two Kenyans for conning American national Ksh.37M in fake gold deal

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) at Central Police Station is probing a high stakes gold fraud incident in which American national David White Odell was allegedly swindled out of approximately Ksh.37 million under the pretense of purchasing gold in Kilimani.

Detectives raided premises where the suspects staged elaborate setups to deceive potential gold buyers, only for the promised fortune to vanish, leaving victims empty-handed.

Two suspects, Paul Chogo and Collins Onyango, are now wanted in connection with this sophisticated gold scam network along Hurlingham’s Rosewood Avenue.

Odell traveled to Kenya to purchase 150 kilograms of gold and paid an upfront sum of Ksh.37 million.

"I witnessed an operation where they were smelting. They had 150kg there in nugget form and they did the smelting there at the compound. The gentleman that was the shipping agent is Collins, and the gentleman who approached us and conversed with us for a good period of time his name was Paul,” he said.

The two individuals Paul Chogo and Collins Onyango Opinde are now being sought by detectives for their alleged involvement in the gold fraud syndicate.

"Observing the smelting process was very professional. We thought this is a professional operation. So, they produced the first smelting batch as the initial collateral for the 50 kgs and gave it to a center box. We prioritized this box here on the seventh jointly with Paul Chogo,"added Odell.

On December 12, an agreement was reached with Odell to be brought into a vault room under the company name Sky Eagles Ultra Vault Ltd.

The arrangement was that upon payment, the gold would be released and shipped to the United States.

"We both had joint combinations Paul Chogo…had two of the four digits to get it open. He put in his two, turned back, and then I put in mine. That was set. So we came back on the 3rd. After we agreed to proceed with the 150kg, more collateral was to be provided. We returned that evening or the next day, and Collins gave us an additional four kilograms in a separate box," narrated Odell.

Citizen TV returned to Central Police Station to inspect the gold allegedly purchased by Odell. Upon opening the box, it was found to contain six pieces resembling gold.

These samples have now been submitted to the Ministry of Mining for verification to determine whether the material is genuine gold.

"After it was all done, they said, ‘Well, we can't ship it as cargo—we have to hire a jet.’ So the next morning, he sends a video saying he's flying to Uganda. He tried to switch the story, saying he sent the whole consignment to Uganda. Then we were told to go get the documents. We took another flight, but were told, ‘Oh, you're too late—customs is closed,’ and these guys were ready to go," Odell said.

According to police, the business of selling non-existent gold has become rampant in the city, leaving victims counting heavy losses.