Lawyers for prime suspect in SIM swapping scam allege torture of their client

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David Mutai aka Hillary Langat was arrested by DCI in Kericho County. [DCI Twitter]

Lawyers representing David Mutai, the prime suspect in the SIM swapping scam, have alleged that their client was deprived of his basic rights by detectives investigating his case.

The suspect is currently being held at Muthaiga Police Station awaiting trial tomorrow.

Mutai aka Hillary Langat was arrested by detectives from the Kericho County Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Mutai is suspected of leading a large syndicate headquartered in the town of Kapkwen in Bomet County.

“Our client was denied food by the police for two days. We bought him food and when we went to Muthaiga police station we were denied access to see him. We begged the police to deliver the food to him on our behalf, but they refused,” said Felix Kiprono, his lawyer at Muthaiga police station.

He continued: ‘We also came to speak to our client asking for vital information to enable us to prepare his defense ahead of his court appearance, but we were denied access. We were told to ask for the agreement of the DCI boss in charge of serious crimes, but when we went to see him, he sent us away”,

Mr. Kiprono also alleged that since his arrest, the suspect has not taken any statement to this effect and that no one has come forward to complain that he was defrauded by the suspect.

“The police are torturing our client by playing cat and mouse with his lawyers. We will oppose any request by the police for any detention after the suspect has been brought to court,” Kiprono said.

Philip Lagat, also the suspect’s lawyer, said the Bill of Rights was at risk, saying they had been threatened by police for representing the suspect.

“A lawyer cannot be denied access to see his client even if the suspect is a capital offender, we have the right to represent anyone and those who threaten our lives should know that if someone something happens to us, they will be held accountable,” Lagat said.

His arrest came just a day after the DCI released his image to the public.

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

SIM swapping fraud involves hijacking a victim’s mobile phone number and using it to access personal data and bank accounts through mobile banking apps.

The DCI said two of the suspect’s accomplices were in custody after robbing a Rift Valley politician of 941,000 shillings.

Detectives say a recent case leading to the arrest of the two lifted the lid on their relationship. Justus Rono, 28, and Kevin Kiplangat were arrested earlier this month.

Police said Rono was arrested in Mulot while Kiplangat was caught in his hideout in Sigor Mall, Chepalungu.

A police report states that Rono is Mutai’s trusted lieutenant. “Rono disguises himself as a boda boda racer and carries Mutai on his bike to avoid detection by the police.”

Police also said they obtained footage of Rono showing wads of cash believed to have been stolen.

Fraudsters operating in Mulot have perfected the art of defrauding the public by posing as high-ranking officials and promising opportunities in government, including employment.

The suspects allegedly registered several SIM cards using details of fraudulently acquired identity documents and deposited the embezzled money in different M-Pesa accounts.

Police also said they suspect the fraudsters are working with rogue bank officials.

“They pose as bank customer service agents, then ask for a customer’s account number, PIN, and details of the last transaction on the targeted account.”

“They then use the details to duplicate the victim’s account and after a successful SIM card swap, the account is wiped clean within seconds,” the DCI report further states.

Local financial institutions are the most targeted due to their inferior network segmentation systems which expose their customer data to fraudsters.

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