Leticia Fegason Mafikeni, 31, and her 29-year-old brother, Grecian Kazonga, both IT experts, have been detained at Lingadzi in Lilongwe for allegedly stealing over K100 million from various bank accounts using a sophisticated SIM card swapping scheme.
Public Relations Officer for Lingadzi Police Cassim Manda says the suspects are being accused of defrauding unsuspecting National Bank of Malawi customers by swapping TNM phone numbers linked to specific mobile devices (MO626). This allowed them to access and transfer funds.
The first reported incident occurred on June 15, 2024, when UK-based IT specialist Ted Kaliyapa discovered that MK14,259,731 had been stolen from his business and personal accounts.
Lingadzi Police investigations revealed that the TNM number was swapped on July 11, 2024, and used to transfer funds to various bank accounts, Mpamba, and Airtel Money accounts between July 14 and 15, 2024.
Call logs indicated that the suspects utilized cellular network towers within Lilongwe district, leading to Mafikeni’s arrest at Mswati village and Kazonga’s arrest at Area 49 Dubai in the capital. Both suspects admitted to the crime, revealing the involvement of an unknown accomplice and being found with password-cracking tools used for SIM card swapping.
It is alleged that the suspects selected random phone numbers and targeted accounts with significant funds. This breakthrough has also resolved two similar cases reported at Mzuzu and Lilongwe police stations, involving the theft of MK79,000,000 and MK10,230,000, respectively.
The suspects, who hail from Mswati village in Traditional Authority Khongoni, Lilongwe district, will appear in court once investigations are completed. Meanwhile, Lingadzi police are working to recover the stolen funds.
