Nakuru police have arrested a man said to have been selling canned githeri, labelled as fish food in Nakuru town.
The suspect, James Kariuki, was arrested on July 25 at Mawanga Estate after some traders claimed he had conned them.
Samuel Mwangi, a resident said he lost Sh201,600 after the suspect recruited him as a broker to help him sell the canned githeri labelled as 'fish food'.
"I saw him sell a 410 gramme tin at Sh11,000 when he visited my stall. I was convinced it was a good business and went ahead to buy 24 cans. What I did not know is that those he was selling the githeri to in my presence were part of his gang," said the trader.
Peter Njoroge, an M-Pesa dealer, said he lost Sh37,000 after he also stocked the 'fish food'.
"I was not interested until I saw him sell so many cans to his purported clients, that's when I also decided to invest," Njoroge said.
The area traders said the suspect told them there was only one supplier of the 'fish food' in the region as it was expensive, this motivated them to purchase his relatively cheaper products.
Residents became suspicious when Kariuki switched off his phone after collecting money. Police said the man had many phone numbers under different names.