Kenyans behind Sh140m Dubai heist arrested in Namanga

The duo was arrested with Sh13 million on them

Police are holding a woman and man suspected to have stolen Sh140 million (Dh5 million) in Dubai three months ago.

Detectives from Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested Rebecca Mweni Musau and recovered Sh13 million from her new house in Ruai.

She was arrested at the Namanga border on Wednesday following a tip-off from Immigration officials who realized that her passport had been flagged.

She was brought to Nairobi, where she was interrogated and later took the team to her house where they found the money, believed to have been part of the loot seized while on transit, DCI George Kinoti said. 

He added the suspect may have arrived in the country earlier but travelled to Tanzania for other businesses.

It was as she crossed back that she was detected. 

Charles Karanja

Mueni together with Charles Karanja and another suspect not identified escaped after the robbery and United Arab Emirates security officials started their search in collaboration with Kenyan and Interpol officers.

The money was on transit when it went missing.

Kenya plans to extradite the suspects to Dubai to face charges there. 

Dubai’s Ministry of International Corporation wrote to the Kenyan authorities, asking them to help trace the two Kenyans.

Karanja worked as a security guard, according to Dubai media. 

The two, are suspected to have stolen the money from a vehicle that was transporting the cash to an ATM at a popular shopping mall in the city.

Local Dailies in Dubai reported Karanja had distracted his colleagues at the mall before vanishing with the money alongside a male and a female at around 10.30pm on March 2, 2018.

Two weeks after the heist, Dubai Police arrested Charles at a flat in Al Nahda area in Sharjah area.

Another security guard was also arrested.