In the name of love: Mombasa woman charged with defrauding disabled man of Sh2.7 million
A 27-year-old tussle for the property of a reclusive billionaire Samuel Mbugua Githere is back in the limelight.
A man living with disability has accused a Mombasa woman of defrauding him of Sh2.7 million in the name of love.
Ms Rukia Suleiman appeared in a Mombasa court on Friday where she pleaded not guilty to two charges of obtaining money by false pretences and cheating.
In the charges, she is said to have tricked Zula Abdallah Juma into giving her the money by falsely promising to buy a piece of land and build a one-storey house in Kiembeni.
The court was informed that the woman managed to obtain the money from Mr Juma through fraudulent means.
Investigations into the matter revealed that Mr Juma, who lived in Holland, had been sending money to the suspect, who was his fiancée at the time, for the construction of the house.
The two were to live in the house after their wedding, which was due to take place last month.
"I built the house through my hard work while I was working in Holland. When I returned to Kenya in December last year for our wedding preparations, the suspect started avoiding me, making excuses to stay away from the newly built house. Sometimes she would schedule appointments in Kwale or Kilifi," the victim lamented in his report to the police.
Investigations revealed that the victim later discovered that Mrs Suleiman was already married to another man and that they were living in the house he claimed to have built with his own money.
It was only when he discovered that another person was living in the house he had financed that he reported the matter to the police.
Mr Juma and Ms Suleiman have reportedly been in a relationship since 2019 and were planning to get married last month.
Mr Juma is physically disabled as a result of an accident he was involved in in Majengo, which resulted in a serious spinal injury.
He filed a complaint at Kiembeni Police Station under OB number 51/18/02/24.
Mr Juma's life took a turn for the worse when, at the age of 19, he was pushed to the ground by his friend during one of his visits to Kenya.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place on various dates between 25 May 2020 and 13 February this year.
Ms Suleiman denied the charges when she appeared before Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo.
She was released on Sh1.5 million bond with a surety of a similar amount.
The case will come up for mention on March 15, 2024.
