University dropout arrested for allegedly hacking betting firm and stealing millions

Kenyan authorities have arrested 26-year-old former university student Seth Mwabe for allegedly hacking into the payment system of a top betting firm and siphoning off KSh 11.4 million (over US$88,000).

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed the arrest following a raid on the suspect’s residence in Tatu City, Kiambu County. A video and images of the arrest and seized equipment have circulated widely online.

Investigators say Mwabe, who dropped out of Meru University in his second year, exploited vulnerabilities in the betting company’s payment service provider to conduct 38 fraudulent transactions through a linked bank account and PesaLink platform.

His home was found to contain a “well-established computer laboratory” with high-end servers, laptops, a safe, a money-counting machine, and several mobile phones, reports Pulse Kenya.

In a statement during his interrogation, Mwabe described himself as a cybersecurity engineer since 2017, insisting:

I am a cyber security engineer so this is what I do. I have been doing it since 2017. I left university in my second year.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenya has arrested a 26-year-old university dropout, identified as Seth Mwabe, for allegedly hacking into a betting firm’s system and siphoning KSh 11.4 million (over $88,000).

According to investigators, Mwabe ran a… pic.twitter.com/eupzWRYdZb

— EDHUB

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