Police have arrested five suspects and recovered dozens of mobile phones and other electronic devices believed to be stolen in separate operations targeting phone snatching and stolen-electronics networks in Nairobi and Thika.
The crackdown saw officers recover an iPhone 15 Pro Max stolen from a motorist along Limuru Road, while a separate operation in Thika Town led to the seizure of 57 assorted mobile phones, two tablets and two laptops.
In the first incident, a motorist using his iPhone 15 Pro Max while stuck in afternoon traffic near Muthaiga Mini Market Roundabout along Limuru Road had his phone snatched through the vehicle window by a suspect identified as Kelvin Mwangi Gachuru.
The victim immediately jumped out of his vehicle and pursued the suspect, prompting police officers on patrol to join the chase. The officers apprehended the suspect and recovered the phone before escorting him to Gigiri Police Station for processing.
In a separate incident along Komarock, police officers on foot patrol arrested two suspects, Kevin Musyoka and Deric Odhiambo, after allegedly witnessing them snatch a mobile phone from a female passenger aboard a matatu while riding a motorcycle, registration number KMGZ 673P.
Their third accomplice reportedly escaped with the stolen phone.
However, a follow-up operation led officers to a house in the Superloaf area of Mowlem, believed to be associated with the fleeing suspect. Police arrested the third suspect, identified as Austine Mwangi, and recovered the stolen phone alongside four other mobile phones.
Meanwhile, detectives in Thika Town arrested Elvis Thuita Gitau during an intelligence-led operation targeting a suspected stolen-electronics racket.
The operation followed reports of individuals allegedly tampering with International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of stolen mobile phones, a practice that can make stolen devices harder to trace.
Detectives raided a room on the eighth floor of Aliza Plaza, where they recovered 57 assorted mobile phones, two tablets, two laptops and other electronic devices suspected to have been stolen.
The five suspects remain in police custody as officers complete processing ahead of their expected arraignment in court.
The operations underscore renewed efforts by police to disrupt phone-snatching gangs and networks suspected of dealing in stolen electronic devices across Nairobi and neighbouring towns.
