This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
On Wednesday evening, detectives in Bomet arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of hacking into Equity Bank accounts and stealing more than Sh400,000.
The suspect, Peter Cheruiyot, was found in possession of mobile phones and several ID cards during the dramatic operation in Mulot.
He is being questioned over cybercrime cases that have been on the rise in the county, with Bomet East Sub County Police Commander James Kilonzo confirming the arrest.
According to Kilonzo, the suspect was handed over to detectives in Bomet for questioning, and his arrest is expected to help track down cybercriminals in the region.
“It is suspected that he committed the crime over the last one week and has been on our radar. Today we managed to arrest him,” said Kilonzo.
Mulot Trading Centre has been identified as one of the cybercrime hotspots in the country, with dozens of locals losing hundreds of thousands to the cybercriminals operating in the border town.
As part of efforts to combat cybercrime, Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Edward Mwamburi had earlier this year deployed cybercrime experts to track down suspects who have been avoiding arrest.
