2 arrested in connection with loss of Sh941,000 from a legislator's bank account

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have identified the leader of a criminal group known as the Mulot SIM swap syndicate.

In a statement on Wednesday December 28, the DCI said the gang’s leader is David Mutai, also known as Hillary Langat Matindwet.

Mutai is a convicted criminal with several arrest warrants and pending cases against him.

The group was uncovered by detectives working at the elite Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau.

David Mutai, also known as Hillary Langat Matindwet, who is accused of running a sim swap syndicate Pulse Live Kenya

The scammers are known to hijack a victim's phone number and use it to access sensitive personal data and bank accounts through mobile banking apps.

In a recent case, the group is accused of stealing Sh941,000 from the bank account of a legislator from Rift Valley while the victim was out of the country between December 2, 2022, and December 3, 2022.

Two accomplices of Mutai, Justus Rono and Kevin Kiplagat, were recently arrested in connection with the case.

Rono, who often disguises himself as a boda boda rider, was caught in Mulot, a town known for harbouring criminals, while Kiplagat was arrested in Sigor market in Bomet county.

Police are currently searching for Mutai, who is from Bomet county.

The suspects use multiple SIM cards with fraudulent identification documents and transfer the stolen money to different Mpesa accounts to avoid detection.

Some financial institutions in Kenya are particularly vulnerable to these types of scams due to weak network segmentation systems that leave customer data exposed to cyber threats.

David Mutai, also known as Hillary Langat Matindwet, who is accused of running a sim swap syndicate Pulse Live Kenya

Kenyan citizens are advised not to disclose personal information, including their national ID card name and number, Mpesa transaction details, SIM card PIN, and birth year, to strangers.

The group has also been impersonating senior government officials and obtaining money from the public by claiming to be able to influence employment and business opportunities for a fee.