Kenyan Police Dismantle Ugandan Phone Theft Ring in Nairobi

Arrests Made in Phone Theft Operation Targeting Nairobi Residents

In a recent operation, the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested two Ugandan nationals and two Kenyan sisters suspected of operating a phone theft ring in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD). The DCI reported that the operation began with the arrest of the Ugandan nationals, who were caught stealing phones from Nairobi residents. They were tracked by detectives and taken into custody.

The foreign suspects were accused of stealing phones and passing them on to the Kenyan sisters, who operated a shop at Munyu Business Center. One of the foreign suspects was found in possession of 13 stolen phones at the time of her arrest.

Following these arrests, further investigation led the police to the shop at Munyu Business Center, where stolen phones were received before being sent out of Kenya. The two sisters were linked to this operation.

After interrogation, the suspects revealed the whereabouts of a fourth individual waiting to transport the stolen phones to Uganda from the Simba Coach bus station. The DCI, specifically the elite Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau based at the DCI Nairobi Regional Command, is expanding its efforts to uncover more individuals involved in what is suspected to be a sophisticated syndicate engaged in smuggling stolen mobile phones to neighboring countries.

The DCI noted that the phone snatchers had adapted to shipping the stolen devices outside the country as a strategy to avoid tracking and make it harder to recover the stolen items. The police remain vigilant, with the assistance of Cybercrime detectives based at the DCI National Forensic Laboratory, as they continue their crackdown on petty thieves and armed robbers in the area.