Dozens of suspects are in police custody following a crackdown in the city that saw detectives recover more than 240 suspected stolen phones, laptops and tablets.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohamed Amin on Tuesday revealed that the region-wide operation, conducted on 4 March 2024, targeted suspicious phone repair shops.
Samuel Kang’ethe, Anthony Kamau and Kelvin Kihara were arrested in Kamukunji area with 19 phones in Information Shops 3A and 2B and 10 phones were recovered at Cianda Market shop no. 426.
In Lang’ata at Mobihub Planet-BIHI Towers, Lynne Wambui and Paul Wainaina were nabbed with 34 suspected stolen phones and at Skydeck Technologies police recovered 8 laptops leading to the arrest of Brian Mwangi and Robert Thuo Mwangi.
Five other suspects were also arrested in Ruai and Kamulu areas where over 182 mobile phones, a laptop, an iPad and two heating machines were seized from three repair shops.
The shops include Free Mack Electronic Shop and Kamale Mobile Repair in Ruai, and Friends Communication Shop in Kamulu which led to the arrest of Fredrick Maina, Macnair Gedion, Robin Muturi, John Kamau Mwangi and Kelvin Kamau Njuguna.
The DCI boss added that four other suspects were arrested in Kasarani’s Githurai 44 area in a similar operation.
Two other suspects who were found with eight suspected stolen laptops were also arrested in the same area.
“Four other suspects were arrested in Kasarani’s Githurai 44 area in a similar operation,” Amin said.
“The DCI Nairobi Region Coordinator has warned phone thieves posing as phone dealers and phone repairers that detectives are hot of their trail,” a statement from the DCI read in part.
The crackdown on suspicious phone repair stalls comes amid another sustained operation targeting a car theft syndicate that has been stealing vehicles from parking lots in residential areas.
