By MOURINE SCOVIAN: The Mombasa County Security and Intelligence Committee has issued a stern warning against a growing wave of mob justice triggered by false claims of disappearing male genitalia, declaring that anyone involved in assaults or spreading the hoax will face prosecution.

The committee, led by Mombasa County Commissioner Mohamed Noor, stated that the alarming claims are malicious fabrications orchestrated by organized conmen.

“These criminals exploit public fear to create confusion, rob innocent residents, and loot local businesses,” said the administrator.

The bizarre scam has recently sparked widespread panic and disrupted commercial activities across key markets in the coastal city.

Within the last 48 hours, rowdy mobs incited by the false allegations descended on unsuspecting individuals at Kongowea and Marikiti markets, leaving several people injured.

According to the County Commissioner, the incidents have heightened public tension and are being orchestrated by criminals who falsely claim their private parts have disappeared after being touched by a stranger.

The sudden accusations are designed to instantly trigger mob attacks, during which the confusion is used to execute robberies.

“We have been able to arrest one person who was doing that,” Noor revealed adding that “He said that he had lost his genitals, but he was investigated, and it turned out he had not lost anything. No one has the ability to remove it.”

“We went to all hospitals and health centers; no one has lost anything. It is gossip that is being misused, especially on TikTok,” he added.

The scare reportedly began in neighboring Kwale County before spreading to Mombasa.

On Monday, members of the public at Kongowea and Marikiti markets brutally assaulted two people after they were falsely accused of causing the “disappearances” through physical touch.

The market footage

Security agencies have launched a crackdown on the conmen initiating the scams and the vigilantes participating in the subsequent violence.

“In all these, they intend to create chaos to be able to rob traders and the shops,” Noor explained.

“We have been able to get the videos, and we will apprehend those who did the assaults. They assaulted and injured an innocent person. They will be charged; the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are reviewing the videos.”

“If you assaulted a person at the market without a reason because you saw others being assaulted, you too will be charged because you don’t have the right to take the law into your own hands. All those are nonsense. They are conman stories intending to steal,” the Commissioner warned.

Moving forward, the administration stated that anyone claiming to have lost their genitals will be immediately arrested, taken to a medical facility for a formal physical examination, and subsequently charged with spreading false information.

The security team also turned its attention to social media, issuing a stern warning to content creators using the bizarre claims to gain traction online at the expense of public safety.

“Anyone who uses that for content, we will arrest. We don’t want those stories,” Noor stated emphatically.

Mombasa County Police Commander Stella Cherono echoed the sentiments, urging residents not to fall for the fabrications or resort to violence. She advised the public to immediately report such incidents to the police for proper medical and legal investigation instead of taking matters into their own hands.

Cherono confirmed that three suspects have so far been arrested in connection with the scam and the subsequent chaos, adding that authorities are actively pursuing other individuals linked to the market incidents.