Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested four Chinese nationals in Nairobi over an alleged SIM-swapping and money-laundering scheme.
In a statement on Wednesday, September 2, DCI said the suspects were arrested after a businesswoman reported that her two Safaricom mobile lines had suddenly stopped working, leaving her unable to make calls or access M-Pesa services.
The incident prompted detectives from the DCI Parklands office to launch investigations into the unexplained deactivation of the lines.
“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,” the statement read.
Investigations established that the complainant’s mobile numbers had allegedly been hijacked and subsequently used to receive funds from a gaming and betting platform.
The money was then allegedly moved through a network of mobile numbers and bank accounts linked to the suspects, prompting detectives to follow the financial trail.
The trail eventually led detectives to Xiaoling Gu, Guodong Fu, Wenji Gao and Gu Xiaopeng, who were subsequently arrested.
A search of premises linked to the Chinese nationals uncovered 24 mobile SIM cards registered under different names.
The detectives also recovered six SIM cards belonging to foreign nationals, six mobile phones, laptops and three ATM cards registered to different account holders.
Further, the sleuths recovered Sh1,125,800 in cash during the operation.
“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,” DCI stated.
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.
