CCTV footage in which a boda boda rider is captured, snatching a mobile phone from a traffic police officer along Nairobi's Kangundo road emerged on Monday morning, August 30.
The video seen by Kenyans.co.ke, shows the officer standing beside a police bus, while animatedly talking on his phone.
Unbeknown to him, a boda boda rider, who seem to have spotted him from afar, is seen riding sneakingly behind him.
Before the snatching act, the rider made a quick stop just a few meteres away from the policeman, perhaps to assess the situation.
A few seconds later, the rider had snatched the phone and taken off at almost maximum speed, leaving the officer to run after him on foot.
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A similar incidence was also captured at the Roysambu underpass, along Thika Road not too long ago.
An officer manning traffic had his phone snatched by a pillion passenger aboard a motorcycle. The rider soon took off and proceeded to manoeuvre along the busy road.
The video dated Tuesday, July 6, left many people sympathising with the police officer, who looked helpless, seeing as he was on foot whilst the offending man was on a speeding bike.
The incident caught the attention of the National Police Service (NPS) who dismissed the video, claiming that it was manipulated.
Crooks are notorious for subjecting unsuspecting Kenyans to such acts, especially along busy roads and within Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).
It had become so common for Kenyans to rush to social media to share their ordeals, so much so that the Director of Criminal Investigations once responded.
The DCI addressed the issue and urged all victims to file formal reports at police stations to enable officers to follow up.
"While many victims take to social media to narrate their ordeals in the hands of muggers (which is good sensitization), we further urge them to formalize those complaints."
"Many are scenarios when suspected muggers go scot-free, even after they have been arrested along various streets and walks within the CBD, as the few who report at the station fail to pursue their cases or never turn up for hearings," reads the statement by DCI.
