Billions seized at Barclays Bank in suspected fake currency syndicate

A suspected fake currency syndicate could be at the heart of a raid on a Barclays Bank branch in Nairobi after police seized millions of dollars following an alleged tip off.

Playing out like a scene from an action movie, the raid on the Barclays Bank Quennsway Branch occured on Tuesday, with the Flying Squad, accompanied by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), reportedly arriving in vehicles to search the banking hall.

Operations at the Barclays Bank that is situated on Kaunda Street within Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) came to a halt as the security authorities reportedly searched for the fake bills.

Behind it is an individual believed to be the one whose account held the yet unspecified amount of money, but that could be upto millions of dollars. When converted into Kenya Shillings, the figure breaches the billion mark.

Other reports claim the individual behind the supposedly fake currency bills had brought in another large stack of money which he was to keep at one of the bank’s safes. The individual was also allegedly accompanied by two other people who were potential investors who could have been victims of a scam or part of the syndicate.

As of time of writing, three persons were believed to be in custody.

This is a developing news story and will be updated as more details emerge.