British Tourist Loses Sh800,000 After Romantic Trap by Online Lover in Mombasa
A British tourist’s dream of love in coastal Kenya turned into a nightmare after his online girlfriend allegedly lured him into a carefully staged robbery that cost him Sh800,000.
The suspect, Samira Mumbi Kiarie, known online as Samira, was arrested after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) traced her to the heist that unfolded in Nyali, Mombasa.
According to investigators, Samira spent months building trust with the Briton through social media, promising romance and a shared future. When he finally travelled to meet her, he had no idea the meeting was a setup.
“Blinded by affection, the man packed his confidence and visited her posh apartment in Nyali, oblivious that he was walking into a scripted heist,” the DCI wrote in a post describing the operation.
Moments after the tourist arrived, two men stormed the apartment. One claimed to be Samira’s furious husband, while the other flashed a fake police ID, accusing the visitor of adultery.
The frightened tourist was forced to transfer Sh800,000 to mobile phone accounts controlled by the gang before being escorted out of the building.
Detectives later used forensic intelligence to track down Samira and one accomplice, Paul Webster Mangeni, also known as Paulo. The pair are now in custody, while a third suspect remains on the run.
Investigators believe the suspects belong to a wider criminal ring that targets foreigners through online dating platforms, luring them to short-stay apartments where they are robbed through intimidation and staged confrontations.
Police have urged both tourists and locals to exercise caution when engaging in online relationships, warning that digital scams along Kenya’s coast have become increasingly sophisticated.
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British Tourist Loses Sh800,000 After Romantic Trap by Online Lover in Mombasa