Nairobi County Chief Environment Officer Geoffrey Mosiria sounded an alarm on a new trick being used by criminals in the Central Business District (CBD), where robbers masquerade as police officers to steal unsuspecting residents.
Talking through a night patrol on a Saturday, Mosiria informed the team that they had arrested a man alleged to be a member of a street gang who had police handcuffs with him.
In a video posted online, the man described how he had picked up the handcuffs from a dustbin, but Mosiria did not buy the explanation, claiming that he was one of the gangs terrorizing the public by posing as officers.
The suspect was subsequently nabbed and detained at Central Police Station, with Mosiria urging anyone who could have been targeted by the man to report to the police.
“Tonight, during our joint operation with the National Police Service in the CBD, we arrested a man suspected to be a street family member who harass and steal from members of the public.Upon searching his belongings, we found he had police handcuffs in his possession,” he said.
Mosiria further stated that the majority of the residents have reported impostors claiming to be police officers robbing or extorting them and that the county and NPS will step up operations to drive out such gangs.
He also warned that criminals habitually take refuge in illegal buildings throughout the city, saying that his office will work with security agencies to flush them out.
The arrest comes after city residents complained of rising cases of drugging and muggings in the CBD. Victims have complained of being administered a deadly drug code-named “Devil’s breath” a chemical known as scopolamine.
The perpetrators are reported to administer it in powdered form, blowing into victims’ faces or passing it on through handshakes and other items.
The victims, in a daze, hand over their valuables without protest, recalling little of what happened.
Last week, Mosiria also accused some content creators of being robbers at night. “They present themselves as content creators in the day, but around 5pm they begin robbing unsuspecting people,” he said.
