Police have arrested two individuals, Denis Kipkoech Kirui and Sylvia Chepkemoi, suspected of being part of a SIM swap fraud syndicate operating in Kericho, Nakuru, and Bomet counties in Kenya.
The arrests was carried out in the Sunset area of Mulot after Chepkemoi registered an Airtel line for Kirui, who had been on the police radar for SIM swap fraud.
Authorities seized identity cards, Airtel SIM cards, and other items believed to be used in the fraud.
The arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on criminal gangs in the region, prompted by numerous public reports of SIM swap fraud.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) indicated that the suspects are part of a syndicate active in various parts of the Rift Valley, Nairobi, and Mombasa.
This crackdown has been in progress since last year, resulting in the arrest of two men in February and ten suspects in December in Olbutyo, Chepalungu constituency.
The Mulot trading complex, comprising three centres – Mulot Sunset in Bomet County, and Mulot Central and Mulot Olomirani in Narok County – has become a hub for cybercrime.
According to Bomet County Police Commander Robinson Ndhiwa, 25 fraudsters have been arrested in the last five months and charged in court for swindling money from the public.
These criminals, mostly teenagers, transfer money illegally from people’s bank accounts and mobile phones, often with the collusion of employees from mobile phone companies and financial institutions.
The issue of SIM swap fraud first emerged over a decade ago but was downplayed by banks and mobile phone companies to protect their image following breaches in their security systems.