It has now been confirmed that the man captured in a viral video being forced into a private vehicle in Ongata Rongai was not abducted but was arrested in connection with a fraud case.
The video, widely shared online, sparked outrage among social media users who speculated that the incident was yet another episode of abduction. In the footage, the man is seen resisting the individuals handling him, who eventually succeeded in forcing him into the vehicle.
Onlookers, unaware of the full details, accused the individuals of being abductors. However, it has since been established that the man, identified as Duke Mainge, was being arrested after allegedly attempting to defraud an M-Pesa outlet.
CCTV footage from the shop, located in Ongata Rongai town, showed Duke entering the mobile money shop posing as a customer. After engaging the attendant, he allegedly introduced individuals he claimed were Safaricom agents.
The shop attendant became suspicious and alerted members of the public, who intervened and contacted the police. Plain-clothed officers arrived at the scene, leading to Duke’s arrest.
“He came in and asked me to speak to a Safaricom care agent. I picked up his phone, but on the other end of the call was a random number. Meanwhile, he kept receiving calls from an Airtel number, which raised my suspicions,” the M-Pesa operator explained.
Despite reactions from onlookers labeling the officers as abductors, the police detained Duke at Ongata Rongai Police Station, where investigations into his alleged conduct commenced.
Preliminary police findings revealed that Duke is part of a syndicate involved in defrauding M-Pesa agents across the country.
Duke, however, denied the allegations, claiming that his arrest was unwarranted and that he was mistreated by the police.
“Someone sent me to an M-Pesa shop to connect him with an agent. Suddenly, I was bundled into a car and handcuffed. I wondered what was happening because I had not committed any offence,” Duke said from police custody.
Investigations into the case are ongoing as authorities work to uncover more details about the alleged fraud scheme.
