NAIROBI, Kenya – Three men have been detained in connection with the theft of an Eastleigh businessman’s iPhone, which led to the unauthorized transfer of Sh3.2 million from his bank accounts. The suspects allegedly used SIM cards and bank accounts registered under stolen identities to commit the fraud.
Appearing at the Makadara Law Courts on May 5, 2025, Peter Kariuki Mathii, David Ng’ang’a Macharia, and Isaac Kanini were ordered held at Pangani Police Station for 10 days by Senior Principal Magistrate Paul Rotich.
The stolen funds were reportedly funneled into multiple bank accounts and encrypted M-Pesa numbers, which the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is still tracing with the help of Safaricom.
Victim Adam Hussein was driving along Racecourse Road on April 10 when his iPhone 16 Pro Max—valued at Sh178,000—was stolen. He later discovered that his bank accounts had been emptied in small transfers across different dates and destinations.
Investigators traced some of the funds to a bank account belonging to Mathii, who was arrested in Ruiru alongside Kanini. They were in Kanini’s vehicle, which was later listed as a proceed of crime.
At Macharia’s Zimmerman residence, DCI officers recovered:
Assorted SIM cards
ID cards of unknown individuals
ATM cards, mobile phones, and a SIM registration device
Papers resembling U.S. Dollars
Documents with various account numbers and KRA PINs
The three suspects, who had no identification documents on them, are being investigated for computer fraud. The DCI is working with the National Registration Bureau to confirm their identities and is still seeking to recover the stolen iPhone.
Meanwhile, the DCI has cautioned the public that criminals may be using SIM cards and bank accounts registered with stolen ID numbers. Authorities urge anyone who suspects their identity may have been compromised to report to the nearest police station.
