How Nairobi woman lost Sh140K in weight-loss scam
A 32-year-old woman’s desperate attempt to have a flat tummy was met with disappointment after she was conned Sh140, 000 by her friend.
The businesswoman from Embakasi, Judith Mawia Munyoki, had expressed her frustrations with her weight gain to a close friend, Susan Francis, after which Francis offered to assist by seeking the services of a doctor “she knew would help”.
The only condition presented to Munyoki was that payment was to be done before the medical procedure is scheduled.
Trustingly, Munyoki sent the money in three instalments of different amounts within a period of six days.
She was to receive a self-administering injection – GLP-1 ligalutide (saxenda).
Munyoki says she was then taken to a guesthouse within Rongai’s town centre where she met two men; Mwangi Waweru who introduced himself as the doctor and another man.
After a few minutes, Munyoki was allegedly told to lie on a bed so as to commence with the procedure.
She questioned why the procedure was being carried out in a guesthouse and not a hospital to which she was told that the rooms in the hospital were full and that the procedure requires a lot of privacy.
Though skeptical, she says she proceeded to do as instructed and lay on the bed where her tummy was cleaned with methylated spirit and massaged.
The three then left claiming the purported doctor had gone to collect the Saxenda.
After over three hours of waiting she came to the realisation that the suspects had left the premises.
She returned to Nairobi and reported the matter at the Embakasi police station and police traced and arrested two suspects – her friend and the purported doctor.
The two suspects are accused of obtaining the money by false pretences contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code between August 18-24.
Francis and Waweru denied the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Hellen Okwany of the Makadara Law Courts.
They pleaded for lenient bail and bond terms through lawyer Viola Chepkorir and claimed that they are mere hawkers in Embakasi.
They were released on a cash bail of Sh70, 000 each. The case will be mentioned on November 16 before hearing starts on March 27, 2024.