Police in Eldoret are holding three suspects believed to be ring leaders of a network of cyber criminals impersonating top Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital( MTRH) management to con unsuspecting members of the public.
The Uasin Gishu Police Commander, Johnston Ipara said they have been working with MTRH management to dismantle the network that has been impersonating the Hospital CEO, Dr. Wilson Aruasa to con the innocent with the pretext of offering them employment.
Ipara said since the CEO reported activities of the criminals on February 14 this year, his officers in collaboration with those from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) started monitoring the suspects.
“Dr. Aruasa reported to us activities of impersonators using his name to con people via social media promising employment upon parting with a certain amount of money. Our officers working closely with those from DCI commenced monitoring the crooks whose three ringleaders we managed to arrest last week,” said the Police Commander while briefing the press in the company of the MTRH CEO at the Eldoret West Police Station.
Ipara said the suspects posing as MTRH CEO on Facebook and WhatsApp were identified as Zacharia Kiprotich Sang alias Dr. Aruasa, Richard Cheruiyot Rotich and Shadrack Kiprotich Rotich.
In his remarks, Dr. Aruasa cautioned the public against cyberspace fraudsters purporting to be offering jobs at MTRH using fake accounts on social media.
He said the suspects who were arrested in Meru and Nakuru towns opened the fake accounts on or about February 14, 2020.
He hailed the police for arresting the suspects, saying, “We complained to police as a hospital about activities of these criminals who opened fake Facebook and WhatsApp accounts in my name which they have used to con people for the last four months.”
Dr. Aruasa said police and the hospital IT experts have been tracking the suspects since the case was reported adding MTRH recruitment is done on merit, cautioning the public to be wary of criminals using his name to con them out of their hard-earned money while promising nonexistent employment at the hospital.
The suspects are expected to be charged in court on June 6 upon completion of investigations.
By Kiptanui Cherono
