Suspects in Sh449 Million Fuliza Fraud Registered 123,000 SIM Cards – Court Told

Ten suspects arrested for defrauding Safaricom Sh449.6 million through its overdraft service, Fuliza, registered thousands of SIM Cards, a court heard.

The suspects who were nabbed in Nakuru and Kitale, corporal Knocker Nyasinga who is attached to the Banking Fraud Unit, told a Milimani court that at least 123,000 subscribers joined Fuliza between January and July 2022 and thereafter got rid of the SIM cards.

“This is a clear case of fraud wherein the respondents hatched a meticulous plan of acquiring several sim cards, opening many bank accounts, and applying for Fuliza loans with intentions of not paying back,” said the investigating officer.

The suspects are; Isaac Kipkemoi, Gideon Rono, Moses Rono, Collins Kipyegon, Maxwell Njamba, Edwin Kipkorir, and Gideon Kipkoech.

Read: Eight Arrested Over Alleged Sh500 Million Fuliza Fraud

Others are; Peter Gitahi, Brenda Chepng’eno, and Linda Cherono.

Police are probing the suspects in connection to conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 393 of the penal code and theft.

Mr Nyasinga sought to hold the suspects for 10 days to complete investigations into the matter. But the suspected fraudsters opposed the application saying the police did not give sufficient evidence to detain them further.

“The application is bereft of substance and we urge the court to reject the application because pre-trial detention has now been settled by courts,” their lawyer Ham Lagat argued.

Read Also: How Fraudsters Used Man’s ID to Transact Sh2.7 million on Mpesa

Police suspect that their accomplices are hiding in Kericho, Bomet, Narok, and Ol Kalou.

During the raid at the suspects’ homes in Kiamunyi and Kitale, cops discovered seven laptops, seven routers, 40 mobile phones, over 200 Safaricom agent lines, over 3,000 Safaricom lines, 10 identity cards, 14 Safaricom registering machines (MoBiGo), and assorted electronic and motor vehicles.

The court will rule on the application on February 13.

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