Two Information and Technology (IT) students from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) are facing charges of hacking a bank and attempting to steal Ksh 215.1 million shillings.
On Monday, October 26, the duo (one male and female) were charged with theft and conspiracy to defraud one of Kenya’s top banks.
The students reportedly stole Ksh 24.4 million and attempted to move another Ksh 190.7 million before the local bank caught wind of their action.
A manhunt was also launched for their classmates who were accused to be part of the hacker group.
Counsel from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) told the court that the bank trailed the suspects after one of them notified the institution of a system failure via Twitter.
“It is the first accused who initiated his prosecution process by informing bank authorities that there was a hitch in its system.
“I request the court to release the suspects on Ksh 100,000 cash bail as they are students who are not financially able to raise a substantial amount,” the suspects’ lawyer defended his clients while appearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Carolyne Muthoni Njagi.
He added that the suspect further notified the bank of the hitch via SMS after it failed to respond to his tweet.
The suspect was summoned by the bank and he voluntarily honoured the call only to be arrested by law enforcers.
Magistrate Njagi released the duo on a cash bail of Ksh 500,000 each or Ksh 2 million bond.
The case will be heard on Tuesday, November 10.
