Police have launched a manhunt for the leader of the infamous Mulot sim swap syndicate after the gang recently wiped clean an Mps bank account.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the gang which operates from Mulot, a town located on the border between Narok and Bomet counties infiltrated a bank account belonging to an Mp from the Rift Valley between December 2 and December 3.
The Mp is said to have been out of the country for official duties when they struck. They first transferred the legislator’s mobile number to a new sim card and used it to gain access to his bank accounts. Once inside they withdrew Sh941,000.
Once back in the country and after learning of the heist and realising his account had zero balance, the legislator reported the incident, which led to the arrest of two suspects who are believed to be part of the syndicate.
“The fraudsters who have also perfected the act of impersonating senior government officials recently obtained an unspecified amount of money from unsuspecting members of the public, after posing as a senior state official who would influence employment and business opportunities at a fee,” said the DCI.
“The suspects who have registered multiple SIM cards using details from fraudulently acquired identification documents, deposit the siphoned money to different Mpesa accounts, in a bid to make it difficult for detectives to track them down,” DCI added.
One David Mutai alias Hillary Langat Matindwet who has been identified as the ring leader of the gang is said to have orchestrated this particular heist and is on the run.
“Rono, who disguises himself as a boda boda rider is one of the main suspect’s trusted allies, who ferries him on his bike discreetly to avoid detection from our hawk-eyed sleuths. Images of Rono showing off wads of cash following some of the successful operations that they have conducted, were also obtained by the detectives,” said the DCI.
According to the investigative agency a second suspect identified as Kevin Kiplagat has been apprehended at Sigor market Bomet county.
“The fraudsters who have also perfected the act of impersonating senior government officials recently obtained an unspecified amount of money from unsuspecting members of the public, after posing as a senior state official who would influence employment and business opportunities at a fee,” said the DCI.
Besides the MP, the syndicate has in the past stolen money from other senior government officials. Early this year Peter Mwanzo, Nakuru police boss, lost over Sh597,000. He even testified before magistrate Mary Mwendwa narrating the ordeal that occurred on January 4, 2022.
“Within less than six hours Ksh597,100 had been transferred from my Bank account to my mobile banking account and later sent to a number unknown to me and withdrawn in Mulot, Bomet county. How this happened is still a mystery to me,” Mwanzo stated.