A notorious sim swap fraudster was Wednesday arrested by Thika-based detectives.
The swindler was arrested right in the act after presenting himself to a Safaricom shop for sim replacement services while using a forged ID waiting card and a police abstract form purportedly issued by Central Police Station-Nairobi.
Upon interrogation, Emmanuel Kiprono led detectives to a house in Zimmerman where a mobile phone used for sim registration, assorted sim replacement cards, forged police abstract forms and waiting cards bearing different names, an M-Pesa till number application booklet, several ID cards among other items were recovered.
His arrest follows a similar one where his comrade in crime Everline Alulu Kimani was arrested on September 19, 2023 and arraigned.
She was also arrested after presenting herself to a Safaricom shop while seeking similar services as those of Kiprono and using forged documents with the sole intention of stealing from her victims’ mobile money wallets, police investigations show.
Read: How to Perform a SIM Swap on Telkom: A Comprehensive Guide
After a search, paper writings bearing confidential customer information were recovered from her house in Komarock-Nairobi.
Kiprono and Alulu are believed to be a detachment of the infamous Mulot team who target individuals with large mobile money balances and once they take over the victims’ phone numbers, they are able drain off their accounts.
Meanwhile, manhunt for several accomplices who have since been named is ongoing.
For the last five years, several suspects, all-hailing from Mulot, have been arrested in connection to SIM swapping, M-Pesa and general fraud.
DCI’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau has already flagged Bomet as a hotspot for mobile and bank fraudsters.
Read Also: How To Do A SIM Swap: Step-By-Step Guide
The fraudsters do SIM swaps by cloning victim’s accounts before stealing the cash from the account.
In some cases, they use the victim’s details to borrow money from online lending platforms.
Most of them are young and known to be heavy spenders at social joints. Ironically, they never drive sleek cars but instead use boda boda but those who drive own Toyota Probox.
The area, along the Narok-Bomet-Kaplong highway has gained notoriety as the headquarters of mobile money frauds in the country.
The group is mixed with university students and some mere high school dropouts. In March, detectives arrested Joan Cherono 22, Robert Kipngetich 23, Josphat Cheruiyot 27, Ronald Kipng’etich 20 and Cynthia Chepkirui 21 in Kasarani, Nairobi.
Read Also: Court Dismisses SIM Swap Victim’s Sh4,310 Case against Safaricom
Police recovered more than 2,000 SIM cards, 15 mobile phones and a register with names of victims.
Four of the suspects were from Mulot while one of them was from Embu.
October 2019, another group of seven suspects were also arrested in Kabete, Kiambu county where police recovered more than 200 SIM cards and several mobile phones.
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