This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
Lucas Mbadi, a.k.a. Steve Mark Oduk, has been making headlines for his lavish lifestyle, but beneath the champagne and luxury lies a web of crime.
On September 27, 2019, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations seized fake $1 million and 147 gold bars hidden in a safe in Kilimani, Nairobi, during a raid at the Plan 254 Club, which Oduk owns.
He was among those arrested during the raid, and it turns out that he is a suspect in a number of cases in court involving fake gold and money laundering.
One of the cases dates back to May 2019, when Oduk was part of 16 men arrested at a house in Kilimani that had fake gold bars and other contraband.
Eight cars of different makes were also impounded during the raid, which was led by Kilimani Police Station DCIO, Fatma Hadi.
After being arrested, Oduk failed to provide an identity card and only told the officers that his name was Stephen Mark.
However, court documents reveal a more sinister side to Oduk's character. On October 14, 2013, a person identified as Stephen Mark Oduk, dressed in police uniform, was part of a gang in Nairobi that kidnapped two children of Indian origin: Ahwal Kaul Mahjan and Abhita Kaur Mahjan.
The group, which included a police officer who had been interdicted from the service, demanded Ksh86 million from the family that runs a chain of hotels in East Africa in exchange for the children's release.
