Rwanda Jails 8 Kenyans, Ugandan Over Equity Bank Hacking Case

KDRTV NEWS: Eigh Kenyan and a Ugandan have been jailed eight years in prison and fined Rwf56 million (about $55,600 million)

The culprits were arrested for hacking Equity Bank by the Rwandan Investigation Bureau (RIB)

The RIB also arrested three Rwandans.

READ ALSO: Rwanda Jails 8 Kenyans, Ugandan Over Equity Bank Hacking Case

The regional security teams trailed the gang linked to bank hacking attempts in Kenya aND Uganda, and Rwandan officials when they et up a shop there.

The members of the organized group were arrested while hacking into Equity Bank accounts and funneling the cash to Rwandans to draw out funds through Eazzy banking and ATMs.

“The court tendered the verdict on the five charges; unauthorised access to s computer or a computer system data; access to data with intent to commit an offence; unauthorised modification of computer or computer system data; theft; and formation of or joining a criminal association,” Taarifa Rwanda reported.

The jailed Kenyans include Dedan Muchoki Muriuki, Samwel Wachira Nyuguto, Kinyua Erickson Macharia, Godfrey Gachiri Githinji, Eric Dickson Njagi Mutegi, Rueben Kirogothi Mwangi, Damaris Njeri Kamau, and Steve Maina Wambugu, and the Ugandan national is John Kibengo.

Cybercrime is an emerging challenge to the Rwandan economy while on the other side, the Kenyan economy is highly digitized and this makes it vulnerable to cybercrime and online fraud.

The regional authorities are now calling for collaboration to tame the increasing cybercrime which is a threat to the regional economy.