Police have arrested a Kenya Kwanza politician believed to be the mastermind of the infamous Mulot SIM swap syndicate.
David Mutai alias Hillary Langat Matindwet who had several cases and warrants of arrest hanging around his neck was arrested on Friday, December 30, at the Kericho Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB Bank).
The jailbird who has been on the run for the past few days was arrested by officers on bank duties after members of the public spotted him in the town and went after him.
“His attempt to flee was immediately thwarted by the youthful young men of athletic height who went after him in long strides, bringing him down with a heavy thud after a few meters,” detectives said in a statement.
Matindwet’s arrest comes two days after detectives based at the elite Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau launched his manhunt.
In a recent case leading to the arrest of two of his accomplices, the scammers had siphoned KSh 941,000 from a bank account belonging to a legislator from Rift Valley, who was out of the country on official duties between December 2 and 3 this month.
Matindwet vied for the Nyangores Ward seat in Chepalungu Constituency, Bomet County in the August 9, General Election on President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
In 2006, he was arrested for allegedly swindling former Sports Cabinet Secretary Wilson Langat to the tune of KSh 0.4 million.
Two years later, the UDA politician was accused of targeting former Permanent Secretary Josiah Sang who lost more than KSh 200,000.
In 2014, Langat was once again charged in a court of law for allegedly swindling Central Organization for Trade Union (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli a whooping KSh 100,000 claiming it was a contribution to offset funeral expenses for former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto’s daughter.