Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have recovered two commercial lorries that were stolen in Murang’a County and later traced in Mombasa.
In a statement on Sunday, February 8, the DCI revealed how officers from its Operation Support Unit pieced together intelligence, identified suspects, and ultimately recovered the vehicles, which had been altered in an attempt to avoid detection.
The DCI said the case involved two specific lorries that were stolen during an incident in Gatanga, Murang’a County, in August last year.
"The vehicles in question, an Isuzu FVZ with registration number KDQ 845T and an Isuzu FRR with registration number KDL 078W, were taken in a brazen theft in Gatanga on August 16, 2025," the statement read.
According to investigators, the theft triggered an intensive probe that relied on intelligence gathering and led to the identification and arrest of the suspects believed to be behind the operation.
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"Following the theft, a meticulous investigation was set in motion, and through intelligence leads, five suspects: Peter Njuguna Gitau, Mark Kinyua, Erick Chege, David Kigo, and Joseph Ndung’u Waweru, the masterminds behind this daring heist, were arrested," the statement added.
Detectives said questioning of the suspects provided crucial leads that directed officers to Mombasa County, where the stolen lorries were eventually found.
According to detectives, the vehicles had been fitted with fake number plates to conceal their identities.
"Upon interrogation, the suspects led detectives to Mombasa County, where the lorries were recovered in Makupa, as follows: the Isuzu FVZ (KDQ 845T) had been fitted with a counterfeit registration plate, KDV 449C, while the Isuzu FRR (KDL 078W) was fitted with a fake plate, KCA 505D, in a desperate attempt to evade the long arm of the law," the statement further read.
With the vehicles now secured, the DCI said arrangements are being made to reunite the lorries with their owners after the successful recovery operation.
"With the lorries now recovered and safely in the hands of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Gatanga, plans are underway to return them to their rightful owners, restoring hope and justice to those affected by this crime," the statement concluded.
The five suspects remain in police custody and are undergoing processing as detectives prepare to arraign them in court.
This comes days after detectives recovered a high-end Mercedes-Benz GLK350d, which mysteriously disappeared from a Nairobi garage.
In a statement on Wednesday, February 4, the DCI said the operation involved officers drawn from specialised investigative units working closely with local police to track down the luxury vehicle.
"A team of detectives drawn from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), Nairobi Region, and Gigiri, working hand in glove with officers from Imbirikani Police Station, has recovered a high-end, unregistered Mercedes-Benz GLK350d that had vanished without a trace from a Spring Valley garage in Nairobi," the statement read.
According to the DCI, the vehicle had been left at the garage for routine work but was later discovered missing under suspicious circumstances.
"The luxury machine had been booked into the garage for a paint job on January 30, 2026, but was later reported missing, and so was the watchman. His mobile phone was switched off, raising immediate red flags and triggering the circulation of the vehicle as stolen," the statement added.
DCI detectives explained that forensic investigations eventually led them to spot the stolen vehicle moving along the busy Mombasa Road, prompting an immediate chase.
"Through painstaking forensic trails, detectives pinpointed the Benz cruising along the busy Mombasa Road. A hot pursuit ensued, ending at a police roadblock mounted by Imbirikani officers in Kajiado South Sub-County," the statement further read.
When police attempted to verify the vehicle at the roadblock, the suspects abandoned it and fled on foot into the surrounding vegetation.
"Cornered, the occupants opted for the coward’s escape. As officers closed in to verify the vehicle’s details, the suspects melted into nearby thickets, disappearing towards Oltiasika and Nosilale villages," the statement noted.
Further examination confirmed the vehicle was the one reported stolen, though efforts had been made to conceal its identity using false registration plates.
"A closer inspection revealed that the Benz matched the description of a stolen vehicle earlier reported, but had been tampered with. A fake front registration plate, KDR 003N, had been fitted to beat detection," the statement concluded.
The recovered Mercedes-Benz has been seized and escorted back to Nairobi as investigations continue.
