Two men will remain in police custody for five days as detectives investigate their alleged links to a sophisticated SIM-swap fraud network accused of stealing millions of shillings from victims’ financial accounts.
Cyrus Mochache Bosire and Ronald Langat were arrested in Utawala on October 2 and presented before Milimani Chief Magistrate Gethi Kibiru as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations sought more time to complete its probe.
The DCI had requested 15 days to hold the suspects at Gigiri Police Station, but the court granted detectives five days.
Investigators are probing whether the two men are connected to a network that allegedly takes over victims’ mobile phone numbers and subsequently uses them to access bank and mobile money accounts.
The investigation was triggered in part by the alleged theft of more than Sh7.5 million from the UN DT Sacco account of Dorice Achieng Omolo.
According to police, Omolo travelled to London on September 10, the same day her Safaricom number was allegedly replaced without her authorisation.
Detectives claim the perpetrators subsequently gained access to her Sacco account and withdrew Sh7,505,705. They also allege that a Sh10 million loan was fraudulently obtained from the institution, with the funds later channelled through various M-Pesa and bank accounts.
Some of the money allegedly linked to the transactions has since been traced to accounts associated with the two suspects, according to investigators.
The DCI is now examining whether the syndicate obtained personal information belonging to travellers through individuals with access to data at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
A Mazda CX-5, registration KDR 293F, has also emerged in the investigation after CCTV allegedly captured the vehicle at Two Rivers Mall around the time Omolo’s mobile line was replaced.
Detectives have asked the National Transport and Safety Authority to provide ownership records for the vehicle as they establish whether it is connected to the suspected fraud.
Police also recovered mobile phones from the suspects which allegedly contain messages relating to withdrawals from Omolo’s Sacco account. The devices are yet to undergo forensic examination by DCI cybercrime specialists.
Thirteen Kenyan identity cards and five airline tickets were also recovered and will be examined to establish their owners and determine whether they were used in the alleged criminal activities.
The investigation is expected to involve the interrogation of more than 15 witnesses and victims, forensic analysis of electronic devices, examination of financial transactions and tracing of the suspected proceeds.
Detectives told the court that some individuals believed to be part of the network remain at large.
The DCI opposed the suspects’ release, arguing that they could interfere with witnesses, communicate with suspected accomplices or tamper with crucial evidence if freed.
The suspects are expected to remain in custody for the five-day period as detectives pursue additional leads in the case.
