Man who used his late friend’s phone to extort money from relatives now linked to his murder

A man who tried to get money from the family of his dead friend in the U.S. without telling them that his friend had died has been locked up for 21 days while investigations continue.

Citizen Digital got court documents that say Kasarani police officers arrested Stephen Karanja on January 13 for killing Victor Wangai.

He is accused of pretending to be the late Wangai, calling his family and friends on his phone and asking for money while pretending to be Wangai.

He is said to have talked to the friend's mother, Jane Nduta, and a close friend of the friend's, Everlyne Wakio.

According to court documents, the deceased person's family reported him or her missing on January 4 at a police station in Kahawa West.

A few days later, on January 10, they would find the body of their dead relative at the Kenyatta National Hospital Mortuary. The body was labeled as that of a "unknown African male."

Reports say that the person who died was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on December 1, 2022, after St. Francis Community Hospital sent them there.

In the end, he died on December 9 at the KNH.

In the meantime, the police officers who are looking into the case have 21 days to finish their work and close the case.

Detectives are looking for clues like the dead person's phone, which the main suspect is thought to have.

Officers will also talk to hospitals where the person who died is said to have been treated to find out what caused their death.

Photo: File