Nairobi region detectives have nabbed a gang of five suspected of breaking in and stealing from parked cars in Nairobi.
According to a statement released by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday, March 29, the gang is using catapults to break vehicle windows and steal valuables.
Following leads from a report filed by a Nairobi-based businessman two weeks ago, the police rounded up the suspects in different estates in Nairobi.
The detectives revealed that the gang stole Ksh900,000 and another Ksh1.9 million (USD 15,000) from a businessman who had parked his BMW X1 along Muhoho Road in Nairobi.
“He had just parked his car along Muhoho Road opposite a local Petrol Station and entered an auto parts shop when the felons struck. Less than five minutes later, he came back only to find a smashed rear window and a missing bag that contained the money,” DCI stated.
Also stolen from the raid, were the victim’s ATM cards, his national ID card, smart driving license and assorted job-related documents.
“Later that evening, the victim received a message alert indicating that Ksh80,000 had been withdrawn from his two bank accounts at an ATM in Embakasi,” DCI added.
Backed up by the Operations Unit, the Nairobi region Crime Research team initiated a forensic-led trail to the suspects, capturing one exposed in the CCTV footage outside the scene of the robbery.
The footage also captured two other suspects, who kept watch as the first suspect employed his catapult skills to smash the car window. Another female suspect was also exposed stalking the victim, as the fifth gang member waited in a getaway vehicle fitted with fake registration plates KCE 8**F.
The officers have also retrieved an ATM card and car-breaking tools including a catapult from the first suspect, who was tracked to a residential area in Nairobi.
The five suspects were later escorted to the DCI Lang'ata offices where they were booked for the long weekend.
“Efforts are in place to recover a second motor vehicle and trace and arrest a sixth accomplice, RN, who fled to Mombasa. Detectives believe that the syndicate is linked to another four suspects who were arrested on February 16 last year after a series of car breakings using the same tools,” DCI noted.
