A major phone theft syndicate that has been troubling Nairobi residents has finally been brought down following a carefully planned police operation in the city centre.
The operation led by officers from Central Police Station, came after weeks of quiet investigations and tips from the public.
Police say they were tracking a suspect believed to be involved in erasing phone identities by tampering with IMEI numbers, a trick often used to make stolen phones harder to trace.
The man was caught red-handed, and this made the officers look deeper into the syndicate.
Following his arrest, detectives were led to a commercial complex in the CBD center, where they found what seemed like a normal electronics repair shop. However, behind the curtain, it was a sanctuary for stolen phones.
Inside, two more suspects were arrested. Officers found dozens of mobile phones of different brands, many with their covers removed, showing clear signs of tampering.
Some of the devices were believed to have been stolen from city residents in recent weeks.
Police also found pay-as-you-go phones, including M-Kopa devices, raising concerns that the group may have been bypassing security features on locked phones before selling them off.
In addition to the phones, detectives seized computer equipment suspected to have been used in wiping data and unlocking gadgets. Among the items recovered were several desktop computers, CPUs, and mobile phone motherboards.
A police report revealed that a total of 36 Samsung phones, 23 Vivo phones, 2 Nokia phones, 1 LG, 1 HMD, 1 Tecno, and 1 Motorola were recovered. Also in the haul were 6 M-Kopa Samsung phones, 2 M-Kopa Nokia phones, and 2 Vivo motherboards many of them stripped and ready for resale. Officers also took away 2 Dell CPUs, 2 HP Elite CPUs, and 1 desktop computer from the scene.
All three suspects are now in police custody as investigations continue. Authorities believe the gang may be part of a wider network operating across Nairobi’s estates.
Police say more arrests could follow as they dig into the operation’s full reach.
This is not the first such bust in recent weeks. Last month, a separate operation led to the arrest of three other suspects linked to phone theft in the CBD.
From the operation carried out, the police were able to recover 75 mobile phones, seven computers, a microscope, and over 20 devices that are used to unlock or “flash” phones.
Members of the public have been urged to work together with police by reporting such information of criminal gangs.
