Edgar Obare was on Thursday arrested in what detectives said is a case of blackmail by fraudsters who intend to benefit financially from prominent personalities, by tainting their images online and demanding money not to post ‘scandalous’ information about them.
According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the suspect has had previous run-ins with the law for publishing false and malicious information regarding individuals and their families is once again a guest of the state.
“Detectives from the Cybercrime unit have uncovered an underworld network of criminals involving young ladies recruited by Obare, to stalk prominent personalities in political, business and religious circles for monetary exploitation. The ladies are then coached by Obare, on how to ensnare the victims into their traps then extort unimaginable sums of money from them,” said the DCI.
In the Wednesday case facing the Obare, one Desy Oduor Achieng (his co-accused) was reportedly coached on how to stalk a prominent governor with the hope of extorting Sh10 million from him.
Obare is said to have shared the governor’s number with her and instructed her to tell him that she was pregnant with his child and that she would tell the whole world about their ‘secret’.
“When the governor did not respond, she was instructed to threaten him that she would share photos that they had allegedly taken in compromising situations but the governor did not respond,” the DCI said on Twitter.
Edgar is said to have taken to his social media pages accusing the governor of impregnating a lady and failing to take responsibility.
The supposedly pregnant lady was said to have been aware that all along, Edgar was taking screenshots of their conversations and her photos which he posted alongside his claims.
“Fearing the repercussions of Edgar’s actions, she reported the matter to DCI offices in Nyali. Detectives have since established that the lady isn’t pregnant as she had claimed,” the DCI added.
Further, the lady reported that she had never met the governor claiming that she had only been recruited by Obare to extort money from the governor.
She has since been arrested alongside the main suspect and they are to face publishing false information charges, contrary to Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, 2018.
“Young ladies are cautioned to be wary of such fraudsters out to exploit them for their selfish gains and are advised to find alternative sources of income,” the DCI warned.
