Police in Marsabit have arrested eight suspects linked to a sophisticated SIM swap fraud that resulted in the theft of over Sh1.2 million from an M-Pesa agent’s account.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects were intercepted at the Merille barrier in Marsabit County. They were traveling in a white Toyota Probox, registration number KDN 708Q, just hours after the incident was officially reported to the authorities.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the suspects posed as ordinary customers at an M-Pesa shop within Marsabit Town. During the transaction, they allegedly distracted and tricked the operator, successfully swapping the agent’s SIM card to gain unauthorized access to the account before swiftly withdrawing the funds.
The eight suspects are currently in police custody. Detectives have launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the full scope of the fraud network and ascertain if more accomplices were involved in the syndicate.
