A man in Machakos County has lost KSh 2.4 million after falling victim to a land fraudster who used a forged identity card and fake title deed to sell land that was not his.
The suspect identified as David Maitha pretended to be one Joel Musembi Kiilu, the real owner of a piece of land along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
According to DCI, Maitha approached the buyer claiming he was selling his land. To convince him, he produced a title deed and an ID both bearing the name Joel Musembi Kiilu.
The buyer, being careful, went to the Machakos Land Registry and did an official search. Surprisingly, the search showed the land was indeed registered under Joel Musembi Kiilu, so he had no reason to doubt.
The two later signed a sale agreement before a lawyer in Machakos town and the buyer sent KSh 2.4 million to Maitha.
Trouble started immediately after payment. The seller switched off his phone, missed meetings and disappeared completely when it was time to transfer the land.
The buyer reported the matter to police in Kalama Sub-County.
Detectives launched investigations and discovered Maitha was using a stolen identity. Through intelligence-led operation, they traced and arrested him at Mtito Andei. He is now in police custody awaiting court.
The DCI has now warned Kenyans to be extra careful when buying land. Police said buyers should not only verify title deeds at the lands registry but also confirm the real identity of the seller, because fraudsters can now forge documents that pass normal checks.
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