Ticket
Fraud Loophole Closed: Six in Court Over Fake SGR Booking Syndicate
- suspects stand in the dock
By Maximilla Wafula
The track has finally run out for an online
syndicate accused of running a high-tech ticketing scam. On Tuesday, six
suspects linked to a fake Madaraka Express ticket booking fraud were arraigned
before Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo at the Kibera Law Courts.
The court ordered that the suspects Evarest Obwoya
Omaywa, Kelvin Kibet (alias Festus Kibet), John Omayo Obwocha (alias Collins),
George Kibet, Brian Cheruiyot, and Brian Onwonga remain in custody at the
Muthaiga Police Station pending further directions. The case was adjourned to
Thursday, July 16, 2026, to address a crucial legal hurdle after one of the
suspects claimed to be under18 years old. An age assessment has been ordered,
and if confirmed to be a minor, the state will step in to provide legal
representation.
This legal action follows an intense investigation
led by Chief Inspector Nickson Kinyua, which revealed that the group operated a
highly deceptive network of cloned TikTok and Facebook pages designed to look
exactly like official SGR channels. Using these fake pages, they lured
unsuspecting travelers by advertising non-existent train tickets to eager
passengers, offering fraudulent "seat reallocation" services for
fully booked trains, and pocketing payments directly while leaving hopeful
travelers stranded with zero booking confirmations.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)
Headquarters team tracked down and arrested the suspects in Nakuru County,
transferring them to Nairobi where they were booked on July 13, 2026. Investigating
officers are currently seeking a 21-day detention period to run comprehensive
forensic analyses on the digital evidence seized during the crackdown.
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