The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested a 26-year-old man who dropped out of university after allegedly hacking into the systems of a major betting company and stealing Ksh11.4 million.
The suspect was arrested on Saturday, August 30, in his two-bedroom apartment located in Tatu City after detectives tracked him down following weeks of investigations.
Confirming the arrest, Central Region’s Regional Criminal Investigations Officer (RCIO), Abraham Mugambi, revealed that the young man had been on the radar of authorities for some time and was believed to have carried out similar crimes targeting big brands.
According to Mugambi, investigations began in July when the betting company reported losing Ksh11.4 million through suspicious digital activities. Detectives soon established that the suspect had managed to bypass the company’s advanced digital security systems and siphon off the money.
“This year in July, a report was filed by a payment service provider indicating that Ksh11.4 million had been fraudulently withdrawn. Following the complaint, our DCI cybercrime experts began investigations and later discovered that the suspect had successfully breached the company’s systems to commit the crime,” Mugambi explained.
When confronted by officers, the suspect—who was identified as a second-year Bachelor of Information Technology dropout from the University of Meru—admitted to the hacking but insisted that his actions were not theft.
He described himself as a cybersecurity engineer and told investigators, “This is what I do.” He further claimed that his activities were part of independent consultancy work, not criminal activity.
During the raid on his apartment, detectives recovered several laptops and desktop computers, a money-counting machine, a safe, and other electronic devices believed to have been used in the illegal scheme. Authorities also confirmed that the suspect was living a lavish lifestyle, likely funded by the stolen millions.
Mugambi assured Kenyans that the DCI will remain vigilant in tackling the growing wave of digital fraud and white-collar crime in the country.
“We are facing an increase in sophisticated computer-related crimes, but the National Police Service is up to the task. We want to assure members of the public that criminals engaging in such activities may run, but they cannot hide from justice,” he stated.
This arrest comes just months after another high-profile case in May, when five suspects were apprehended for allegedly hacking into multiple bank accounts and stealing more than Ksh3.2 million. In that case, police managed to trace the suspects after investigating a separate mobile phone theft incident in Nairobi.
The DCI later revealed that the group had orchestrated an advanced hacking scheme that allowed them to access and drain funds from a victim’s accounts.
With the latest arrest, the authorities are sending a strong warning to individuals engaging in cybercrime, stressing that while technology has opened many opportunities, it is also being misused by criminals who will ultimately be held accountable.
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