Police have arrested a man involved in phone hacking syndicate in Oyugis municipality, Homa Bay county following an outcry from members of public over theft of the gadgets.
The police identified the suspect as 26 year- old Brian Obonyo Odhiambo
Rachuonyo South Sub County Police Commander Philip Saera said the operation to arrest the suspect was led by Oyugis station OCS in collaboration with investigators from M-Kopa Kenya Limited after receiving information and gathering evidence on the phone theft and hacking syndicate within the municipality.
He said the raid was made about 1 km east of the Oyugis police station, where suspect has been operating from for some time now, leading to losses by the M-KOPA company and the public whose phones are stolen.
“Odhiambo is believed to be a central figure in a notorious ring involved in phone theft and digital manipulation of mobile devices,” said the police commander.
During the operation, the police also recovered a significant haul of specialized hacking gear including 15 M-KOPA HMD smart phones and five assorted Samsung mobile phones suspected to have been stolen, an HP laptop pre-loaded with flashing software used to bypass security locks, a Chinese Miracle 2 (CM2) dongle and two external hard drives containing an array of hacking and system-override tools.
“The suspect is currently being held at Oyugis police station as the probe continues,” said Saera.
The police commander has advised local residents to remain vigilant and ensure they only buy electronic devices from authorized dealers.
By Moseti Julius
