Four Chinese nationals have been arrested in Nairobi following investigations into a sophisticated fraud scheme involving SIM swapping and money laundering, after a businesswoman’s mobile lines were hijacked and used to receive illicit funds.
The investigation kicked off after the complainant discovered that her two Safaricom lines had suddenly gone dead, leaving her unable to make calls or access M-Pesa services.
With her mobile lifeline cut off without warning, she reported the matter to police, prompting detectives from DCI Parklands to swing into action.
Detectives established that the complainant’s mobile lines had allegedly been used to receive funds from a gaming and betting platform, before the money was swiftly moved through mobile numbers and bank accounts linked to the suspects.
The trail eventually led detectives to Xiaoling Gu, Guodong Fu, Wenji Gao and Gu Xiaopeng, who were subsequently arrested.
Upon arrest, detectives descended on the suspects’ premises, where they recovered 15 Safaricom SIM cards and 9 Airtel SIM cards registered under different persons, 6 SIM cards belonging to foreign nationals, 6 mobile phones, laptops, 3 ATM cards belonging to different account holders, and KSh1,125,800 in cash.
The four suspects were arraigned yesterday, September 1, 2026, before the Kibra Chief Magistrate’s Court and are in custody with a ruling on bond application scheduled for September 4, 2026.
Meanwhile, detectives are following the money trail, connecting the dots as they pursue additional leads that could lead to the arrest of more suspects linked to the fraud.
