Nairobi: Police have arrested a man involved in a phone hacking syndicate in Oyugis municipality, Homa Bay county, following an outcry from members of the public over theft of the gadgets. The police identified the suspect as 26-year-old Brian Obonyo Odhiambo.
According to Kenya News Agency, 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. This joint effort came after the authorities received information and gathered evidence on the phone theft and hacking syndicate within the municipality.
The raid was conducted approximately 1 km east of the Oyugis police station, where the suspect had been operating for some time, causing losses to the M-KOPA company and the public whose phones were stolen. Police Commander Saera described Odhiambo as a central figure in a notorious ring involved in phone theft and digital manipulation of mobile devices.
During the operation, the police recovered a significant haul of specialized hacking gear. This included 15 M-KOPA HMD smartphones, 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. Commander Saera has advised local residents to remain vigilant and ensure they only purchase electronic devices from authorized dealers.
