An alarm has been raised over a robbery crew targeting homes in gated Nairobi estates while travelling in high-end vehicles.
In an update on Tuesday morning, the Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai claimed that the affected areas included Parklands, Syokimau, General Mathenge and Shanzu.
The MCA revealed that the suspected robbers had been driving a black SUV, a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, and urged anyone with information about the car to come forward.
"There is a black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado now targeting gated communities and robbing homes. If you have lead on this vehicle, kindly share it. We need to get these robbers driving around in high-end cars," he stated.
In a poster highlighting similar occurrences between September 26 and 29, Alai outlined five different instances where high-end vehicles were allegedly used in attempted and successful burglaries.
On September 26, for instance, he claimed that a black Prado attempted to access one of the houses on 51 General Mathenge Drive.
However, the suspects in the vehicle left when they realised that the resident was in.
On September 28 at 1:20pm, the suspicious black Prado was spotted again, with different number plates, at SSRoopra Estate, 4th Parklands, but sped off before attempting a break-in.
According to Alai, at noon on the same day, the car in question was used to transport robbers to Sunpark Residences in Syokimau, where they broke into a house. According to reports, the suspects, who were disguised, broke into an apartment and ransacked it while the occupants were away.
Later that night, the black Prado went back to 51 General Mathenge Drive and asked for the same house they had attempted to break into days earlier.
Three men then reportedly jumped out, forced the gate open, and sped off toward Grevillea 3K.
On the morning of September 29, the robbers went to Shanzu Road, claiming to be looking for a vacant unit.
According to the security alert, the same black Prado is being used with interchangeable number plates, and the suspects pose as visitors or house hunters. They target unoccupied homes for break-in and withdraw quickly if confronted or deterred.
Alai urged security guards have been urged to verify all vehicles against resident guest lists before entry, not to allow entry without prior resident approval, to question the purpose of the visit clearly and record details, and maintain CCTV monitoring of all gate entries and exits.
Residents have also been urged to report suspicious vehicles or behaviour immediately to estate security networks and authorities.
