Dozens of stolen phones recovered by police/DCIPolice have arrested five suspects and recovered 62 mobile phones in separate operations targeting suspected phone theft in Nairobi and Thika.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the arrests followed a swift police response to reported phone-snatching incidents and an intelligence-led operation targeting suspected stolen electronics.
In the first incident, a motorist travelling along Limuru Road near Muthaiga Mini Market Roundabout reportedly lost his iPhone 15 Pro Max to a suspected phone snatcher.
The DCI said the motorist was making a call while caught in afternoon traffic when an individual allegedly grabbed the phone through his vehicle window and fled.
The motorist immediately got out of his vehicle and pursued the individual, attracting the attention of police officers on patrol.
The officers joined the chase and arrested the suspect before recovering the phone.
The suspect was subsequently escorted to Gigiri Police Station for processing pending arraignment.
In a separate incident along Komarock, officers on foot patrol reportedly witnessed three individuals riding a motorcycle snatch a mobile phone from a female passenger aboard a matatu.
Police pursued the trio and arrested two suspects, while the third escaped with the phone.
According to the DCI, a follow-up operation led officers to a house in the Superloaf area of Mowlem, believed to belong to the fleeing suspect.
Officers raided the premises and arrested the third suspect, recovering the phone reportedly snatched from the passenger alongside four other mobile phones.
Meanwhile, detectives in Thika Town conducted a separate intelligence-led operation following reports of suspected tampering with International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of stolen phones.
The operation targeted a room on the eighth floor of a plaza, where detectives arrested one suspect.
A search of the premises led to the recovery of 57 assorted mobile phones, two tablets, two laptops and other electronic devices suspected to be stolen.
The DCI said the operations formed part of an ongoing crackdown on phone theft in Nairobi and Thika.
The recoveries bring the total number of mobile phones seized during the three operations to 62, alongside other electronic devices.
All five suspects remain in police custody, where they are undergoing processing pending arraignment.
The recovered electronic devices are also being held as part of the police investigations into the reported incidents.
