Detectives based in Nyeri county on Friday, November 3 ambushed a businessman who owns a repair shop and recovered 417 mobile phones allegedly snatched from residents.
According to DCI’s statement, the raid followed a close interrogation of two suspects who had earlier been arrested in connection with running a pickpocketing ring in Nyeri.
The two named the businessman David Thinwa Ngatia as their accomplice which then led to the raid.
Police recovered the phones, TV sets, cameras, and several SIM cards.
Here is the Complete DCI Statement on the raid
Over 417 suspected stolen mobile phones have been recovered in Nyeri and a 32-year-old man arrested in connection with the theft. The recovery and arrest followed interrogations on two young men earlier arrested by Nyeri detectives, after they were cornered while snatching mobile phones from shoppers in Gatitu, Nyeri.
John Kariuki and James Thuita were nabbed on November 1, 2023, before detectives proceeded to Gatitu shopping centre where their accomplice David Thinwa Ngatia who operated a mobile phones repair shop was ambushed and the recoveries made.
Other items found stashed in his business space included two TV sets, three laptops, two cameras, 47 mobile subscriber sim cards, a HP printer among others. These were all seized and kept as exhibits.
The Nyeri security command has warn against a surge in pick pocketers who are mostly interested in smart phones, but assures the public that whatever cartels are involved are on police radar and will soon face the full force of the law.
