Detectives launched a crackdown aimed at arresting the masterminds behind a syndicate where gangs behind a series of thefts of motor vehicles have been on the prowl.
This is in response to cases of motor vehicle thefts in Nairobi and its surrounding areas, police said.
According to the police, four suspects were arrested in connection with car theft syndicate.
Police claimed the four specialise in erasing and altering chassis numbers of
stolen vehicles, panel beating, riveting and producing fake number plates, as
well as prefabrication and identity change on the mirrors.
Additionally, they are involved in hiring vehicles using fraudulent
identification, only to steal them thereafter.
On March 3, 2025, detectives nabbed one of the suspects in the city, during, which they recovered a stolen vehicle.
Further investigative interviews with the suspect paved the way to the swift arrest of three additional suspects.
Another suspect, who specialises in erasing and altering chassis numbers of
stolen vehicles, was intercepted in Grogon, within the bustling Nairobi CBD.
Also in custody is a third suspect, known for his skills in panel beating,
riveting, and producing fake number plates, as well as prefabrication and
identity change on the mirrors.
Additionally, another suspect was nabbed for his involvement in hiring vehicles
using fraudulent identification, only to steal them thereafter, police said.
All the suspects are in custody, undergoing processing pending arraignment.
Meanwhile, the operation continues, with detectives focused on recovering more
stolen vehicles and arresting additional suspects involved in removing tracking
devices and manufacturing counterfeit number plates to match the embedded
chassis numbers.
Multi-agency teams involved in the operations are combing through garages to establish if any of the cars there are being processed for sale, illegally.
Director of DCI Mohamed Amin said a special team is pursuing the saga to make more arrests.
“We have
squads all over now checking on this menace,” he said.
Police say cases of stolen motor vehicles have been on the rise.
Some are yet to be solved. Some of the stolen cars are sold to unsuspecting
buyers locally and in the neighbouring countries.
Thousands of cars are stolen annually, according to police statistics.
Up to 1,600 cases of theft of cars and spare parts were reported in 2024 alone.
This leaves car owners with no trace. Some of the cars are at times, dismembered and the body parts sold as spares.
