Detectives attached to specialized units at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Headquarters have conducted two major operations in Nairobi, resulting in the arrest of a practicing lawyer in a high-profile land fraud scheme and the dismantling of an online human trafficking and cyber-exploitation syndicate.

In the first operation, officers from the DCI’s Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU) apprehended Nairobi-based advocate Abdulahi Musdaf Hussein within the Central Business District (CBD).

The arrest follows extensive inquiries into a land dispute involving a female landowner who purchased her parcel in 2005 and had enjoyed peaceful occupation of the property for nearly two decades.

However, in November 2023, the victim was shocked to receive court notices indicating that Musdaf was asserting legal ownership over her land using questionable documentation.

Following a comprehensive investigation, the LFIU submitted its evidentiary findings to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The DPP concurred with the recommendation to charge the advocate with: making a false document and uttering a forged document

Musdaf was trailed to the city center, taken into custody, and processed ahead of his formal court arraignment.

Sex trafficking syndicate

In a separate operation, detectives from the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) raided a residential property in the Mihang’o area of Embakasi East Constituency, busting an online sexual exploitation enterprise.

Acting on actionable intelligence, the officers rescued five women who were found confined inside two bedrooms.

Preliminary findings reveal that the victims had been deceptively lured to the location under the guise of lucrative job offers, only to be held against their will and forced to produce explicit online content for commercial profit.

During the search, detectives recovered and cataloged digital equipment and operational items used to run the illicit broadcast center.

The suspetes who are currently in custody are; Morine Imbaali 43, who is the property owner and alleged prime mastermind of the operation, Barbara Okoyo 24, daughter to the prime suspect, suspected of recruiting the victims through false employment promises and Alfred Okelo 30, husband to Okoyo, accused of managing and maintaining the IT and computer systems used for streaming.

The trio was escorted to Kasarani Police Station.

They are slated to face charges of Trafficking in Persons under Section 3(1)(d) read with Section 3(5) of the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act (No. 8 of 2010), alongside related cybercrime offences.

Authorities confirmed that arrangements are underway to transfer the five rescued women to a secure facility where they will receive comprehensive care, including medical examinations and psychosocial support, to facilitate their safe rehabilitation.