Cop among two arrested for using stolen IDs to acquire loans

 

Two people including a police officer have been arrested for fraudulently registering sim cards using stolen identity cards.

The police officer Boniface Nthenge stationed at Kitengela and a lady by the name Lucy Syombua are believed to be members of a syndicate.

They are part of the group that use stolen identity cards to acquire loans and other benefits from a leading mobile service provider.

"Hundreds of fraudulently registered sim cards and electronic equipment believed to be used for hacking purposes have been recovered from the lady's house in Umoja- Nairobi," DCI Director George Kinoti said on Monday.

Kinoti said Investigations into other activities of this syndicate are ongoing as detectives pursue other syndicate members for arrest and arraignment.

Last year, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations asked Kenyans to immediately report to police when they lose Identification documents.

The DCI said it is unfortunate that the majority of Kenyans do not report to police when they lose personal documents like ID cards, sim cards, phones driving licenses or laptops.

According to the directorate, making reports at the police and obtaining an abstract is essential to not only get police assistance in recovering the lost items.

DCI said this will go a long way in strengthening the victims' defense in case any such documents are subjected to unlawful use by the perpetrators.