Flamboyant businessman Steve Oduk has been arrested after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) raided Plan 254 club in Kilimani Nairobi and found fake US dollars and gold bars.
During the raid, the sleuths seized US$ 1 million notes and 147 gold bars. Oduk is known for living large and spending money without a care in the world. He set to be arraigned in court on Thursday.
Two years ago, he organised a Ksh 2.5 million baby shower for his girlfriend Aeedah Bambi, which was attended by over 200 guests, including radio and television presenters, businessmen, political aspirants, musicians and those in showbiz circles.
It is not the first time, however, that Oduk aka Lucas Mbadi is being arrested over fake dollars. In May, he was among those nabbed by detectives. At the time, he did not have a national ID and gave his name as Stephen Mark. He added Oduk when he was charged at the Milimani courts.
In October 2013, he was among a gang of six arrested for kidnapping two children of Indian origin: Ahwal Kaul Mahjan and Abhita Kaur Mahja before demanding that the family that runs a chain of hotels in East Africa gives them Ksh 86 million in order for the duo to be released.
They were later arrested in Matasia, Ngong, where they were hiding the girls and arraigned in court. The six and two others were released on a personal cash bail of Ksh 1 million or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 2 million.
Oduk has a permanent corner at Plan 254, which he owns.
Cases of fake gold and currency syndicates are not new in the country. Early this month, DCI detectives seized fake US dollars, Euros and Pounds worth Ksh 200 million and arrested Bobby Kariuki, 27.
In February, police said they seized Sh32 billion a house in Ruiru, Kiambu. And in March, Flying Squad detectives discovered Ksh 2 billion after raiding Barclays Bank Queensway Branch in Nairobi.
Conning unsuspecting foreigners
Politician Dr Erick Adede, who was the owner of the safe box in which the fake bills were stashed in, Ahmed Shah, a fake investor, Elizabeth Muthoni, Irene Wairimu Kimani and two bank officials Boaz Ochich and Charles Manzi were arrested. He was attempting to con a foreign investor, police claimed.
In April, eight people, among them four nationals, were arrested and they were found with millions of fake US Dollars, Zambian Kwachas and over 100 kilogrammes of fake gold nuggets at a building on Kiboko-Mukoma Road in Nairobi.
The fake currencies and gold are used to con unsuspecting foreigners. In one of the most high profile cases, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum lost Ksh 400 million to a Kenyan fake gold syndicate that allegedly had the support of high profile personalities.
