At least 12 suspects accused of being behind a racket hacking into Airtel Money services before stealing millions of shillings from unsuspecting customers, have been arrested and charged.
Seven of the suspects appeared before Buganda Road Court magistrate, Marion Mangeni, on Monday (August 23), but they denied the charges.
The suspects include John Kateregga, Monday Henry Mugisha, Musa Mpala, Amos Mabirizi, Emmanuel Zziwa, Derrick Ssempijja Wangi and Fred Mugisha.
They were charged with electronic fraud, unauthorised use of computer services, being in possession of suspected stolen or unlawfully obtained property and conspiracy to commit a felony, all contrary to the Computer Misuse Act 2011 and the Penal Code Act.
According to prosecution, the accused would call their victims purporting to be Airtel Uganda employees who were carrying out ‘routine system upgrades’.
The suspects would access the customer’s phone after sending them a one-time password (OTP) message. They would then call their victims and convince them to read the OTP message before they transfer money from their phones, according to prosecution.
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) lawyer Abdusalam Waiswa said: “The seven, together with others still at large, between March and August 4, 2021, disguised as Airtel employees and called several people whom they tricked before fraudulently withdrawing their mobile money cash.”
The suspects were also accused of being found in possession of suspected stolen mobile phones of different types that included Nokia, Tecno, Infinix, Iphone and Itel.
Waiswa said several people, including Gertrude Nabukeera, Ismail Tamale, Geofrey Kalyango, Andrew Settumba, Philip Mukwaya, Carol Nakigoye, Christine Tusubira, Jospehine Nalwoga and John Semakula had lodged complaints with UCC.
The suspects were remanded to Kitalya Prison until September 7, when they will return to court to hear their bail application.
Other related cases
On August 10, Buganda Road Court charged and remanded to Kitalya Prison five people over hacking into Airtel Money services and stealing customer’s money.
The suspects, all residents of Kikajjo zone, Namasuba in Wakiso district, are said to have defrauded businessman Salim Sserujja of over sh10m by gaining access to his phone after sending him an OTP message.
According to prosecution, the mastermind of the fraud was Alex Kalema alias Mumerika, 29, who made a call to Sserujja under the disguise of being an Airtel employee who was carrying out a system upgrade whereas he was not.
Kalema was charged with similar cases as the second group that was charged on Monday.
It is alleged that Kalema and others still at large on July 22, 2021, within Kampala and Wakiso districts, knowingly secured unfair and unlawful access to Sserujja’s sh10m using an Airtel Money application without his consent.
Kalema allegedly transferred sh4.3m from Sserujja’s Airtel SIM card to telephone number 0770629989 registered in the name of Norah Ajaro.
Another sh500,000 was sent to 0757830313 registered in the name of Emmanuel Munyaneza; sh210,000 to 0757830133 registered in the name of Jenina Tuteireyo, and sh12,660 to 0707386654 registered in the name of Julia Kasingwire.
Kalema pleaded guilty to all the charges, but when UCC’s lawyer (Waiswa) read to magistrate Mangeni brief facts on how the accused committed the offence, he objected.
Kalema said he was not aware of the mobile phone number on which the sh500,000 was sent, prompting the magistrate to change his plea to not guilty.
Others charged were Eddy Katumba, 24, Bashir Kigozi, 21, Hassan Sekabira, 18, and Geoffrey Ssebisubi, 20.
They were also charged with being in possession of suspected stolen or unlawfully obtained property and conspiracy to commit a felony, and they denied the charges.
