Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have over the past two days arrested eight suspects and recovered five vehicles believed to have been stolen during a crackdown on car theft syndicates.
The arrests began on Friday with Timothy Ndegwa, who was nabbed at his Makongeni Estate home in Thika, Kiambu County, whereupon a registration plate number KBR 957C was recovered.
Ndegwa led the detectives to the second suspect, George Kimani Wangechi, who was arrested at Kenyatta Road in Juja with a white Toyota Fielder that is suspected to have been stolen.
The two suspects then confessed to have jointly stolen a red Isuzu D-Max, which they enlisted another accomplice – Stephen Kamau Maganjo – to sell to a buyer in Nyeri.
The said buyer, Antony Wanjohi Theuri, was intercepted while driving the vehicle in Naromoru and also placed in police custody.
The DCI, in a statement to newsrooms, noted that the arrested suspects were pressed harder during interrogations, leading to the arrests of two more of their accomplices, wrapping up the Friday operation.
“After investigative interviewing of the suspects, a fourth accomplice, Boniface Gitemengo Gachanja, was cornered and arrested within Githurai, who led the sleuths to Limuru’s Flyover area where his partner in crime Josphat Ikua Mwangi was arrested,” read the statement.
“Mwangi was found in possession of a suspected stolen Toyota Corolla fitted with registration no. KBA 163Y. The vehicle was recovered at detained at DCI offices. Later this evening, another of their accomplices, Alois Tabu Ojiambo, was traced to and arrested at Kariobangi.”
The sleuths were once again at it on Saturday morning, this time proceeding to 58 area of Nakuru County where they nabbed Michael Gichuhi Macharia in possession of a Toyota Vitz suspected to have been stolen in Nairobi.
Their quest to arrest yet another suspect, however, did not bear fruit as the gangster engaged them in a confrontation before managing to get away.
“The officers ambushed a second renowned suspect, Charles Kung’u Kamau, driving a numberless vehicle make Toyota Probox silver in colour. Search from its Chassis revealed its registration as KBV 958J,” added the DCI.
“Kung’u who has no few antics after occasional confrontations with the law managed to dart away leaving the vehicle, but efforts are on high gear to have him in police custody.”
