Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nakuru in liaison with the local police arrested gang members of suspected seven carjackers after a tip-off.
This is following numerous incidents being reported on the Naivasha-Nakuru and Maai Mahiu-Narok highways.
The detectives noted the group of unarmed men slyly lured the unsuspecting drivers into a secluded area before robbing them and selling the vehicles to neighbouring countries.
"We arrested all the suspects from their common hideout after a tip-off," Naivasha sub-county Police Commander Samuel Waweru stated.
According to some of the victims, members of the gang approach the motorists pretending to be customers of the loaded goods.
Armed with enough information about the owner of the goods ferried, they negotiate the price with the driver and often quote a higher price.
"They were the masterminds of vehicle theft. The thugs were not robbing victims at gunpoint but were involved in luring vehicle owners on the pretext of ferrying high-valued goods," he stated.
“The victims are mostly dumped in secluded areas and tied up inside forested places,” Waweru lamented.
In October 2022, the police launched a crackdown on the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu Highway to tame cases of robbery targeting motorists.
Police noted the operation would involve high-intensity search and screening to weed out the notorious gangs on the highway.
"The unsuspecting driver stopped but was immediately attacked, tied with his piece of clothing, bundled into a waiting vehicle, before being abandoned along the escarpment road in Lari," the police recounted a past incident.
Police officials often publish a list of hotspots where motorist are likely to be robbed by criminals.
