Ex-bank teller, accomplices charged with sim swap theft from the dead – VIDEO
A former Equity Bank teller, has been charged with using a dead businessman’s mobile phone line to steal Sh2.8 million from his bank account and that of his son through Sim swap fraud.
Eutycus Mutembei was charged with conspiracy to steal alongside Ayungu Eugene Shivachi.
The two are accused of conspiring to steal the cash on diverse dates between December 7 and 9 at an unknown place to steal Sh257,000 from a Kenya Commercial Bank account of businessman Amos Ngata Muiruri.
The two are also accused of stealing Sh997,000 from Ngata’s accounts at NCBA Buruburu branch on the same dates.
They further allegedly transferred Sh650,000 and Sh979,83 from Ngata’s and his son Hiram Muiruri’s bank accounts respectively held at Equity Bank during the same period.
The suspects are also accused of unauthorised access to private data contrary to the provisions of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
They are accused of conspiring with others not before court to perform unauthorised access to data held at the banks on December 8.
They denied the charges before chief magistrate Martha Mutuku of Milimani law courts.
The suspects are facing additional charges of preparation to commit a felony after they were found with 39 Safaricom SIM cards.
They were charged alongside taxi driver Morris Koome Riungu and his wife Jane Wacuka.
They are accused of having the SIM cards at Makuyu area along Thika-Makutano in Murang’a County all registered under different subscribers.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said the four were not at their place of abode when they were arrested with the items suspected to be for use in theft and could not satisfactorily account for them.
The suspects denied all the charges.
In the conspiracy and theft charges, Mutembei and Shivachi were released on a Sh1 million bond and an alternative cash bail of Sh500,000.
On the count of preparation to commit a felony, the four were released on a Sh300,000 bond and alternative cash bail of Sh200,000.
The cases will be mentioned on March 3 for pre-trial and fixing of hearing dates.