How Social Media Advertisement Helped Police Recover 22 Suspected Stolen Phones

Police officers have arrested two suspects and recovered 22 suspected stolen phones in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD).

In a statement on Saturday, May 30, the National Police Service (NPS) said the two suspects were nabbed after a woman whose phone had been stolen at a school along Ngong Road came across a social media advertisement featuring a handset that closely resembled her missing device.

The woman reported the matter to police officers, who immediately launched an investigation.

“A social media advert on a popular platform today set in motion a chain of events that culminated in a major recovery of stolen mobile phones and the arrest of two suspects in Nairobi's Central Business District.

“A woman whose mobile phone had been stolen at a school along Ngong Road came across an online advert featuring a handset that closely matched her missing device,” read part of the NPS statement.

Using mobile phone tracking technology, police officers traced the stolen phone's signal to a building near Khoja Stage in Nairobi's CBD.

The officers raided the premises and recovered the stolen phone alongside other high-end mobile phones believed to have been stolen from members of the public.

“Inside, police recovered the complainant's handset together with several other assorted high-value mobile phones, most of which are suspected to have been stolen from unsuspecting members of the public,” NPS stated.

The two suspects found within the premises were arrested and taken into police custody as investigations continue.

“What started as a stolen phone report ended with the disruption of a suspected criminal enterprise and the recovery of twenty-two mobile phones, delivering a significant blow to those profiting from stolen property,” NPS added.

This comes days after police officers arrested five suspects and recovered more than 20 mobile phones and several Kenya Power token meters.

In a statement on Wednesday, May 27, the National Police Service (NPS) said the operation targeted a suspected criminal gang linked to a series of robberies.

The police said the raid followed intelligence reports and increased surveillance activities in the area as part of wider efforts to combat organised crime in Nairobi.

Investigators later traced some of the suspects to a mobile phone repair shop located in Dandora Phase III, which authorities now believe was being used to hide and distribute stolen items.

During the operation, officers recovered several phones suspected to have been stolen from members of the public during robberies and phone-snatching incidents.

Police also recovered multiple Kenya Power token meters believed to have been illegally removed from residential houses.