A 37-year-old Burundian national has been arrested in Mombasa County after detectives uncovered what investigators believe is a stolen mobile phone racket during an intelligence-led operation in Likoni.
In a statement on Friday, July 31, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, identified as Prence Ndihokubwayo, remains in police custody as investigations continue.
"A 37-year-old Burundian national is in police custody after detectives from Likoni Police Station busted a suspected stolen mobile phone racket during an intelligence-led operation at Ferry area of Likoni in Mombasa County," the statement read.
According to DCI, detectives acted on intelligence reports before raiding a mobile phone shop, where they recovered 74 mobile phones believed to have been illegally acquired.
"Acting on credible intelligence, the detectives raided a mobile phone shop where they recovered 74 suspected stolen mobile phones from the suspect," the statement added.
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Investigators believe the recovered devices were stolen from members of the public in separate incidents before ending up in the suspect's possession.
"The assorted handsets are believed to have been snatched from unsuspecting members of the public in various incidents," the statement further read.
Meanwhile, detectives have expanded their investigations to identify the owners of the recovered phones and establish whether the suspect is linked to a larger criminal syndicate.
"Meanwhile, detectives have intensified investigations to establish the rightful owners of the recovered mobile phones and determine whether the suspect is part of a wider criminal network involved in the theft and trafficking of stolen mobile devices," the statement concluded.
This comes a week after the National Police Service (NPS) intensified operations in Nairobi as officers moved to dismantle organised mobile phone theft rings.
In a statement on Friday, July 24, the service said the latest operations resulted in the recovery of more than 20 mobile phones suspected to have been stolen from members of the public.
At the same time, NPS said four suspects were arrested and placed in custody pending arraignment.
"In two separate operations within the city, officers from Central Police Station, acting on actionable intelligence, raided two premises and recovered 11 mobile phones suspected to have been stolen from members of the public," the statement read.
In a separate incident, officers from Shauri Moyo Police Station responded to a distress call from a woman who had reportedly just been robbed of her mobile phone while they were conducting patrols along Digo Road.
"In another recovery, officers from Shauri Moyo Police Station, while on patrol along Digo Road, made a swift response to distress calls from a woman who had just been robbed of her mobile phone," the statement added.
Following the response, police conducted a meticulous search that led to the recovery of the victim's phone at Majengo slums.
Officers also recovered 14 additional assorted mobile handsets suspected to have been stolen from members of the public, while two suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.
The recovered mobile phones were retained as exhibits as investigations continued.
"Members of the public are reminded to remain vigilant and to avoid purchasing unverified gadgets from unauthorised dealers," the statement further read.
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