Wanted: Mulot SIM swap gang leader finally arrested in Kericho
The Mulot SIM swap fraud suspect David Mutai alias Hillary Langat Matindwet, who was wanted by law enforcement, has been arrested.
Police reports indicate that Mutai was arrested outside KCB Bank in Kericho town on Friday morning after members of the public spotted him and reported to the police.
He was taken to the local Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices, where he is expected to be transferred to Nairobi and later be prosecuted.
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The DCI said that the suspect, who was at large then, had several cases and warrants of arrest hanging around his neck.
On Wednesday, police launched a manhunt for Mutai, suspected of being involved in mobile money transfer fraud in Bomet and Narok counties.
He is suspected to be one of the leaders of the infamous Mulot SIM swap syndicate operating along the border of the two counties.
He is alleged to have siphoned Sh941,000 from a bank account belonging to a Member of Parliament who had travelled out of the country between December 2 and 3 this year.
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In a post on social media, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Department (DCI) describes him (name withheld for legal reasons) “as a dangerous criminal who has previously served time in prison and has several cases and warrants of arrests handing around his neck.”
“Following the incident reported by the legislator, one of Mutai’s lieutenants Justus Rono, 28, was tracked down by detectives and arrested in the fraudsters paradise of Mulot, a dusty town shared between Bomet and Narok counties,” said the DCI.
“Rono, who disguises himself as a boda boda rider is one of the main suspect’s trusted allies, who ferries him on his bike discreetly to avoid detection from our hawk-eyed sleuths. Images of Rono showing off wads of cash following some of the successful operations that they have conducted, were also obtained by the detectives,” said the DCI.
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According to the investigative agency, a second suspect, Kevin Kiplagat, was apprehended early this week at Sigor market Bomet county.
“The fraudsters who have also perfected the act of impersonating senior government officials recently obtained an unspecified amount of money from unsuspecting members of the public, after posing as a senior state official who would influence employment and business opportunities at a fee,” said the DCI.
According to the DCI, the suspects collude with employees of various banks to access details of accounts of targeted individuals, after which they call them pretending to be customer care agents and request PINs and their last transactions.
The suspects are alleged to have registered several SIM cards using other people’s details and using them to deposit and withdraw the stolen money.
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