Nairobi — Detectives in Nairobi have recovered 354 mobile phones following a targeted operation in Kayole area as security agents intensify operation on mobile phone theft in the City.
The operation, conducted early Saturday morning by officers from Kayole Police Station, is part of the ongoing campaign by security agents to tackle the rising issue of mobile phone theft in the city.
"On 25/11/2023 at around 0210hrs, NPS Officers from Kayole Police Station recovered 354 mobile phones from a vehicle REG. NO KAZ 505F Toyota Premio in Umoja," the National Police Service (NPS) said.
A suspect identified as Dennis Kioko Mutua was apprehended during the operation in connection with the theft.
He is currently being held at the Kayole Police Station pending arraignment.
This arrest follows closely on the heels of a similar operation by Nyeri-based detectives who recovered 417 phones suspected to have been stolen.
During the November 3, operation, the detectives also arrested a 32-year-old man believed to be connected to the alleged theft alongside two of his accomplices.
The series of events that led to the breaktrhough began with the arrest of two men, John Kariuki and James Thuita, who were caught in the act of snatching mobile phones from shoppers in Gatitu, Nyeri on November 1, 2023.
Subsequent investigations and interrogations led detectives to a mobile phone repair shop in Gatitu operated by an accomplice, David Thinwa Ngatia.
Upon arresting Ngatia, the detectives discovered a stash of stolen goods, including the suspected stolen mobile phones, two TV sets, three laptops, two cameras, 47 mobile subscriber sim cards, and an HP printer, among other items. All these items were seized and preserved as exhibits for further investigation.
Uganda black market
The Nyeri security command has expressed concern over the increasing incidents of pickpocketing, particularly the theft of smartphones. The public has been warned to remain vigilant and take precautions to safeguard their belongings.
On October 14, detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) nabbed two Ugandans and their Kenyan collaborators in a night raid targeting a phone theft syndicate.
The operation led by DCI's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau yielded four suspects.
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The suspects identified as Malumasi Aisha and Agaba Anestus Majuni, both from naighbouring Uganda, were arrested alongside Sarah Njeri and her sibling Mary Wangui within Nairobi's Central Business District.
Malumasi, the detectives said, was found in possession of thirteen smartphones believed to be destined for Uganda.
She then led the agents to her accomplices -- Sarah Wangari and Mary Wangui -- who then led the detectives to the fourth suspect, Agaba Majuni.
Majuni, DCI reported, was preparing to dispatch stollen phones through a parcel service operated by a local bus company.
DCI described the operation as significant in disrupting phone theft syndicates in the capital.
"Mobile phone thugs have found it increasingly difficult to ply their trade in the country, owing to the state of art technology being deployed by our cybercrime detectives based at the DCI National Forensic Laboratory, in arresting mobile phone thieves," the agency said on October 14.
