Five seized over M-Pesa con bid

Police in Kisumu have arrested five people believed to be behind thefts from M-Pesa shops in the region.

Three men and two women were apprehended on Saturday, minutes after they had conned an agent at Otonglo.

Witnesses said the suspects drove a saloon car which they parked outside the shop and posed as customers seeking to deposit Sh50,000.

The shop attendant loaded the money into one of their phones as the suspects counted the money. However, they had only Sh10,000 and pretended to have forgotten the balance in the car.

Flagged down

Suspecting foul play, the agent followed them only to be forced into the car which sped off.

Luckily, some youths were attracted by the commotion and pursued the suspects on motorbikes and also alerted police who flagged down the car on the road to Maseno.

The five attempted to escape on foot, but the youths surrounded them at Kisian and handed them over to the police

Kisumu North OCPD Peter Omanwa said they recovered the stolen cash and 10 mobile phones.

Mr Omanwo said the suspects are in custody at the Maseno Police Station and would appear in court on Monday.