Detectives in Nairobi have recovered more than 60 stolen phones and arrested three suspects linked to a well-organised phone theft syndicate.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 6, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed that officers from the Central Police Station apprehended a key suspect during a well-coordinated operation.
"In an intelligence-led operation, officers from the Central Police Station have arrested Victor Kimani, a key suspect linked to a notorious phone theft syndicate operating within Nairobi’s Central Business District and its surrounding areas," the statement read.
According to the DCI, Kimani was arrested in the Nairobi CBD while allegedly attempting to tamper with phone IMEI numbers in an effort to make them untraceable.
After a brief interrogation, Kimani led detectives to another location within the CBD where two of his alleged accomplices were arrested.
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"Kimani was nabbed in the CBD while tampering with the IMEI numbers of stolen phones in an attempt to conceal their identity.
"Following a brief interrogation, he led detectives to Intermark Business Centre, where two of his alleged accomplices, Marvine Wangundo and Jeremiah Njoroge, were also apprehended," the statement added.
At the Intermark Business Centre, DCI said officers uncovered a cache of stolen electronics during a thorough search of the premises.
The items include, 36 Samsung phones, 23 Vivo phones, 2 Nokia phones, 2 Dell CPUs, 2 HP Elite CPUs and a desktop computer.
"A subsequent search of the premises yielded a haul of stolen electronics, including: 36 Samsung phones, 23 Vivo phones, 2 Nokia phones, 1 LG phone, 1 HMD phone, 1 Tecno phone, 1 Motorola phone, 6 M-Kopa Samsung phones, 2 M-Kopa Nokia phones, 2 Vivo motherboards, many of them stripped of their back covers.
"Also recovered were 2 Dell CPUs, 2 HP Elite CPUs and 1 desktop computer, among other items," the statement further read.
The suspects, Kimani, Wangundo, and Njoroge, remain in custody as police wrap up investigations before presenting them in court.
