University student in Sh11.4m hacking fraud to know bond terms on Wednesday

A university student arrested in connection with an alleged Sh11.4 million cyber fraud targeting betting firm Betika will cool his heels for three(3) days in police custody when a Milimani Court will determine whether to allow police to keep him for 20 days for interrogation or not.

Milimani Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi directed Seth Mwabe Okwanyo be detained at the Capitol Hill Police Station until September 3, 2025, when he will rule on the application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga to detain him for 20 days for interrogation.

“I urge this court to detain the suspect for 20 days to enable officers from the Banking Fraud Unit of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to complete investigations,” prosecuting counsel Sonia Njoki urged.

Ms Njoki also said officers from the cyber-crime unit are also carrying out forensix examination of electronic gadgets recovered from the suspect.

In the application filed at the Milimani Law Courts, officers from the Banking Fraud Investigation Unit said they arrested Mwabe on August 30 at his Tatu City Apartment.

He is accused of facilitating 38 fraudulent transactions on July 16, 2025, through a Diamond Trust Bank account linked to the Pesalink platform.

The complainant, Afrisend Money Transfer Limited, claims its internal security systems were bypassed, leading to the loss of Sh11,410,165.

The Investigating officer Chief Inspector Julius Cheruiyot told the court that Okwanyo allegedly shared a fraudulent application link via a Telegram bot, which was used to siphon the funds.

He is also accused of directly benefiting from the scheme.

Police told the magistrate they recovered several electronic devices, including computers, routers, mobile phones, and phone motherboards, for forensic analysis.

Investigators are also seeking data from Telegram and Starlink, in addition to records from local banks, mobile service providers, and the Kenya Bankers Association.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) argued that Mwabe should remain in custody at Capitol Police Station to prevent interference with witnesses and allow investigators humble time to finalise evidence collection.

However, Mwabe's lawyer opposed the application, arguing that forensic examination of the seized electronic devices does not require his client’s continued detention.

The lawyer also applied to have the suspect be admitted to bond saying he is not a flight risk and no compelling grounds were presented by the DPP to warrant the detention of the suspect for 20 days.

The magistrate heard the electronic investigations can be done without the presence of the suspect.

“You will be detained at the Capitol Hill Police Station until September 3, 2025, when a ruling will be rendered as to whether you will be admitted to bond or you will be detained for 20 days,” Mr Ekhubi ruled.