City Crime: Detectives from the Operations Directorate have apprehended Brian Otiende Anyanga, the alleged mastermind of a notorious city cartel implicated in issuing fake lease certificates to unsuspecting landowners and developers.

Operating under the guise of working at the Nairobi County Lands Registry, the group has caused significant distress to property owners in the capital.

The arrest follows the apprehension of Brian’s accomplice, Lawrence Martins Ochieng, two weeks ago.

Ochieng was nabbed for his role in a scheme that nearly defrauded a victim of two prime parcels of land in Nairobi’s Pumwani area.

Although detectives intercepted the fraudulent transaction, the victim had already lost over Ksh 553,000 to the scam.

Upon learning of his accomplice’s arrest on December 2, Brian went into hiding at a residence along Katulo Road in Buruburu.

However, after an intensive two-week manhunt, detectives tracked him down and arrested him in his home today.

Brian, who is already facing charges in an ongoing gold scam case and is out on bond, is set to be arraigned on Monday at the Milimani Law Courts.

Meanwhile, several suspicious land documents seized during the investigation are undergoing scrutiny to ascertain whether officials at the Lands Registry were complicit in the fraudulent activities.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) remains committed to dismantling the cartel and restoring trust in property transactions.