A Pakistani national was on Thursday nabbed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) while in possession of $975,000 (over Ksh.110 million) in cash as he attempted to leave the country.
Khalid Jameel Said Ahmaad was apprehended by sleuths attached to the Assets Recovery Agency with the cash stacked in bundles and packed in bags.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspect was intercepted by detectives who had been trailing him as he tried to board a flight en route to Bahrain.
Khalid went to JKIA customs offices to inquire about travel requirements to Bahrain, an archipelago on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. He finally secured a flight to the island via Cairo, scheduled to leave the country today (Friday) morning at 0730 hours,” said the DCI in a statement.
“As he made his way to JKIA’s Terminal 1A, hawk-eyed detectives and customs officials who lay in wait pounced on him and seized his luggage where Sh110 M in US dollars was stashed.”
The man was questioned but could not adequately satisfy the detectives with an explanation of the source of the money.
DCI noted that the suspect had been on their radar since his arrival into the country from Berlin, Germany, on January 13, 2022.
“Immediately after his arrival, he took a flight to the coastal city of Mombasa, for an undisclosed mission. Detectives learnt that Khalid had on January 20, seven days after his arrival, attempted to deposit a huge sum of money at the Mombasa DTB Bank, which the bank declined,” DCI said.
The State agency revealed that Khalid then severally attempted to deposit the cash in Nairobi, but his attempts were futile, and so he resorted to travelling to Bahrain.
A probe is presently underway as the suspect awaits arraignment while the Assets Recovery Agency forfeits the seized millions to the State.
