A 30-year-old father of three, Antony Otieno, was found brutally murdered inside Meridian Apartments in South B, Nairobi, after what police believe was a planned setup disguised as a high-value phone delivery.
Antony, a delivery rider, had been dispatched to drop off a brand-new iPhone 17 Pro Max, but the assignment turned into a deadly trap.
Antony left a shop in Nairobi’s CBD at around 10:30 a.m. after receiving delivery instructions via WhatsApp from a man claiming to be in Eldoret.
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The man, using the number 0108577041, said his “brother Hillary” would collect the phone from the apartment, which had been booked as a temporary Airbnb.
The payment was to be confirmed in person. That was the last time Antony was heard from.
Hours later, his lifeless body was discovered under the bed in Apartment No. 14, tied at the hands and legs, with a scarf tightly stuffed in his mouth.
A leso had been wrapped around his face, and blood pooled beneath him, pointing to severe blunt-force trauma to the head, as confirmed by the autopsy.
Police recovered a knife, a metal rod suspected to be the murder weapon, and the same phone Antony had been delivering. Outside, his motorcycle, registration KMFH 161S, remained parked.
According to the Airbnb host, Charity Muthoni Michoki, the apartment had been booked earlier that morning by two unknown men who paid KSh 2,500 in cash.
She received a message at around 9:30 a.m. saying the balance would be cleared later. When she later approached the room to follow up, one of the men asked her not to enter.
Sensing something was wrong, she returned with neighbours. They forced the door open and were met with blood on the floor and Antony’s body hidden under the bed.
Investigators believe the suspects orchestrated the murder under the guise of purchasing a high-end gadget.
Police have forwarded the two phone numbers used—0108577041 and 0783041879—to Safaricom for identity tracing as part of the ongoing manhunt.
Antony’s family is now mourning the loss of a husband and father described as hardworking and dedicated.
The DCI is urging anyone with information to assist in the investigation as the search for the killers intensifies.