A gang of thieves targetting car owners resorted to causing an artificial power outage in a neighbourhood to vandalise the vehicles of unsuspecting residents.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, October 23, residents in Lari constituency stated that the group destroyed a transformer supplying power to the estate before the raid.
During the power outage spanning over a month, at least five vehicles were vandalised and parts were stolen.
In one of the incidents captured by a CCTV camera, the suspects gained access into a compound and spent two hours breaking down a vehicle.
Among the parts they made away with include the headlights, fog lights, and the grille of the car.
The members of the gang access the compounds of the victims by creating an opening through the stone fences by knocking down a couple of bricks.
Area sub-county police commander Adamson Furaha stated that the police had launched a manhunt to hunt down the thieves and recover the stolen goods.
"The police units in the area will conduct joint patrols, especially in the residential areas. So far we have arrested one suspect who we expect will lead us to the rest," Furaha stated.
In addition to the vandalism, locals also complained about a spike in mugging cases, forcing them to rush home by nightfall.
A request has been made to Kenya Power to replace the transformer that was stolen to restore power supply.
The theft of car spare parts has become a trend in the country with thieves selling stolen parts in the black market. On the other hand, the destruction of power lines was listed as an act of treason.
On January 20, former President Uhuru Kenyatta termed the destruction of national infrastructure projects such as the national power grid as amounting to treason.
During the operation, the then Interior Cabinet Secretary ordered people who had encroached on land reserved for power lines to move.
“We must work together to be a step or two ahead of these criminals (vandals and saboteurs). A scheme to vandalise more pylons in Naivasha that could have resulted in weeks of the blackout was thwarted by security intelligence," stated Matiang'i.
