Main suspect in SIM swap fraud arrested amid DCI investigations

David Mutai alias Hillary Langat (right) was arrested Friday after three days on the run. [Nikko Tanui, Standard]

Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation in Kericho County waylaid and arrested a suspect in a SIM card fraud investigation.

David Mutai alias Hillary Langat has been on the run for three days.

County Police Commander Rico Ngare said Mutai was arrested around 8am within the town's central business district near Kenya Commercial Bank.

Mutai is suspected of leading a wide syndicate with its headquarters in Kapkwen town in Bomet County.

When he was arrested, police say they found him with eight cellphones and Sh3,000 in cash.

"We are still investigating the suspect's mission in Kericho. We believe he was here to execute a criminal mission," said Ngare.

The county police chief said since the suspect was a wanted man for fraud reported across the county, the DCI officers from Nairobi will take over the investigation.

"Upon the suspects' arrest, we were overwhelmed by calls from various police stations across the country wanting him to be transported to record statements over fraud cases," he said.

Numerous fraud cases

Ngare, who was with Kericho East DCI Officer Rhoda Kanyi and Kericho East OCPD Abdulkadir Malicha, said in Kericho alone, numerous cases had already been reported. He, therefore, called on the public who might have been swindled by the suspect and his accomplices to report to the nearest DCI offices.

"We want to build a watertight case and therefore require victims to provide us with evidence," he said.

Kericho OCS Mohammed Osman had a difficult time shielding the suspect from an angry mob who wanted to lynch him outside KCB.

A curious crowd also milled around Kericho Police station where the suspect was being questioned.

As the suspect was being interrogated by the DCI, it emerged that Mutai was among United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ward representative aspirants for Nyangores.

He dropped out of the race after other politicians questioned him.

Mutai is said to have been generous in his campaigns, dishing out handouts and contributing to fundraising activities in the village. He was commonly called "Matindwet."

Political observers had touted him as a top contender as his campaign meetings and road shows attracted huge crowds.

"His campaign was like no other. He even scared many potential candidates out of the race," said Dominic Korir, a political commentator.

Korir said, at some point, voters thought he was competing for the parliamentary seat as his campaigns were well-oiled and pulled crowds from far and wide.

He, however, left many questions unanswered when he fizzled out towards the UDA party primaries and was never to be heard from again. Some of those who contested against him said integrity queries may have pushed him out.

"He knew that even if he topped the primaries he would not have been cleared by the Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission," one of the aspirants said.

His arrest comes a day after the DCI circulated his image to the public.

Mutai is accused of being behind a SIM swap fraud gang that operates in Mulot, a trading centre between Bomet and Narok counties.

SIM swap fraud involves hijacking a victim's mobile phone number and using it to gain access to personal data and bank accounts through mobile banking applications.

The DCI said two of the suspect's accomplices are in custody after robbing a Rift Valley politician of Sh941,000.

Detectives said a recent case leading to the arrest of the two lifted the lid on his dealings. Justus Rono, 28, and Kevin Kiplangat were arrested early this month.

Police say Rono was arrested in Mulot while Kiplangat was nabbed at his hideout in Sigor trading centre, Chepalungu.

A police report says Rono is Mutai's trusted lieutenant. "Rono disguises himself as a boda boda rider and ferries Mutai on his bike to avoid detection by police."

Police also say they have obtained images of Rono showing off wads of cash suspected to have been stolen.

The frauds that operate in Mulot have perfected the art of swindling the public by impersonating senior state officials and promising opportunities in government, including employment.

The suspects are said to have registered multiple SIM cards using details from fraudulently acquired identification documents and deposited the siphoned money to different M-Pesa accounts.

Police also say they suspect that the fraudsters working with rogue banking officials.

"They pose as customer care agents from banks then ask for a customer's account number, PIN, as well as details of the last transaction on the targeted account."

"They then use the details to duplicate the victims' account and after a successful SIM swap, the account is swept clean in a matter of seconds," the DCI report further stated.

Local financial institutions are the most targeted due to their inferior network segmentation systems that expose their clients' data to fraudsters.

[Additional reporting by Gilbert Kimutai]