Two men, Boniface Karanja, 32 and Daniel Kimani, 54, have been arrested for attempting to siphon 6,000 litres of diesel worth Ksh 1.2 million from a petrol station in Kajiado on Sunday evening.
Their plan was foiled by a vigilant pump attendant.
At around 4 p.m., the suspects arrived at Sajjy Petrol Station in Bisil township, Oloililai Sub-County, in an Isuzu NPR tanker.
Posing as wealthy customers, they claimed to have wired Ksh 1.2 million to the station owner’s bank account and were ready to collect their fuel.
Appearing confident and constantly on the phone, they convinced the attendant to begin pumping.
However, after dispensing about 100 litres, the attendant excused himself and called his boss to confirm the payment.
His suspicions were confirmed, the money had not been received, nor had any such transaction been authorized.
Sensing fraud, the attendant discreetly signalled his colleagues, who restrained the suspects and alerted the police.
Officers arrived to find the duo firmly secured.
They were arrested and their vehicle, registration number KCC 312G, was impounded.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the two had travelled from Nairobi and were part of a larger syndicate targeting petrol stations in small towns.
Police have launched further investigations into the racket.
