Kasarani Sub County Police Commander (SCPC) Peter Mwanzo is counting losses after falling victim to a Sim-card swapping led by a deadly gang.
The senior cop is said to have lost Sh600,000 to a well-organised syndicate that is suspected to be working with staff from local banks and Telco’s to swindle Kenyans their hard-earned money.
Mwanzo narrated that he began receiving telephone calls from an unknown person regularly and was determined to put his telephone on flight mode.
However, an hour later Mwanzo realized the said gang had withdrawn a sum of Sh600,000 after receiving a fusillade of messages informing him, he had withdrawn cash from his Equity Bank account by means of his line and withdrew it at an agent in Bomet.
Officers attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) quickly sprang into action and arrested a suspect by the name of Gideon Mark, who reportedly confessed to being part of a wider syndicate.
The investigating officer noted that Mark was part of a well-coordinated sim-swap syndicate based in Mulot, Bomet county known as ‘confirmed.’
According to the officer the group targets the elderly, who are more gullible and are more likely to give out their information. They register lines using lost identification card numbers or those belonging to the dead.
Incidents of Kenyans losing tens of millions of shillings to sim fraudsters have been on the rise with nearly all complainants not reporting the incidents and going about each day actions as if nothing has occurred to them.
Officers have been working with the mobile service providers to track down members of the gang.
The investigative officer requested the court to allow them to hold the suspect for eight more days for investigations.