Detectives in Nairobi, with the help of CCTV footage, arrested four suspects for allegedly breaking into a parked vehicle at South C’s Rumi Estate in Nairobi and getting away with Sh50,000.
In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the thugs are behind the recent increase cases of car break-ins in Nairobi.
According to DCI, the four suspects were caught on CCTV as they broke into a parked vehicle at South C’s Rumi Estate in Nairobi after trailing the victim from a bank.
“They lie in wait at bank lobbies for unsuspecting customers making bulky transactions before trailing them and breaking into their cars with the aim of stealing their hard-earned cash,” the DCI said.
Using the CCTV footage from both scenes, the DCI said forensic analysts at the Imaging and Acoustic Unit traced and identified one of the suspects who led them to his accomplices.
In what the police say was a well-orchestrated crime, the DCI said that the February 3 incident saw the four trail a businessman after he made a bulk transaction of Sh350,000 at Equity Bank Nairobi West Branch.
“Detectives would later establish that the male victim parked his Mercedes Benz at the Equity Bank Nairobi West Branch at around 2:30 pm, where he withdrew Sh350,000 meant for payment of his workers at a construction site,” said the DCI in a statement on Friday.
“Unbeknownst to him and the bank security, therein was a man pretending to be filling account opening documents, but who stole quick glances at the withdrawal counters to spot any bulky transactions. At the parking yard, in a white Mazda Demio, were his three accomplices, awaiting for his signal for whoever their target would be.”
As the victim left the bank in his car, the Mazda Demio bearing forged registration number trailed him all the way to Rumi Estate, parking a safe distance from their target who alighted and headed to the construction site.
The DCI said that luckily, the victim left with Sh300,000 and left behind Sh50,000 which the suspects managed to steal after breaking into his car.
The four suspects were last week arraigned at Kibera Law Courts where they pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied bail.
According to DCI, the suspects faced three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to section 393 of the penal code; stealing from a locked motor vehicle contrary to section 279(g) of the penal code and malicious injury to property contrary to section 339 of the penal code.
The DCI added that the entire syndicate had been nabbed and the two motor vehicles (KDD 515Q Mazda Demio and a KCE 107Y Toyota Belta) used in trailing victims were detained together with the recovered tools of the trade including the catapult and nine spark plugs.
A further probe into the matter also established that one of the suspect jointly with another has a similar pending case of stealing Sh600,000 from a locked motor vehicle in June 2022, where they presented fake names at the same law courts as Raymond Muramba Mueni and Muthui Mutua.
The multi-agency body appealed to security personnel manning banks to be on the lookout for criminals, the public has also been cautioned to be wary of this mode of criminals.
