Security declare war on car breakers which has rocked Nairobi City and environ.
In the month of October, 2023, car breakings rocked the city of Nairobi and its environs, with several of them being captured on CCTV cameras featuring syndicates of notorious city thugs stealing from locked motor vehicles, according to secure agencies recently released reports.
The separate syndicates believed to have a common market for stolen items mostly targeted shoppers’ vehicles at supermarket parking spaces, bank customers withdrawing huge sums of cash, and other motorists in whose vehicles items of value such as laptops, tablets and expensive smartphones could be seen from outside.
From using catapults and spark plugs to break car windows to mastering car door locks, the dreadful rings moved with impunity across high end spots within the capital, to the terror and discomfort of city dwellers.
In one such incident on October 7 in Nairobi’s Parklands area, a DTB bank client lost Sh1.5 million to a gang of four after his Mazda CX5 was broken into as he picked an item outside the bank.
Weeks earlier, another viral footage that was also shared in the DCI social media platforms had made rounds showing a ring of car breakers stealing from a locked motor vehicle in Nairobi West.
In the incident, the victim had left some Sh466,000 which he had withdrawn moments ago from a bank, a school bag, a laptop valued at Sh105,000 and his mobile phone as he went to a supermarket only to return and find all of them missing.
The unbecoming surge saw the DCI dispatch a team from the Operations directorate which nabbed the infamous catapult gang, as detectives in Lang’ata pursued suspects in the highlighted case.
Days ago, 42-year-old Amos Odera Audo who featured in various crime footages was ambushed at his Kaloleni hideout around the City Stadium in Nairobi. Another accomplice John Musiyo Mbingu was also arrested at a Kibera court where he was appearing for hearing in a similar car breaking charge.
While Amos Odera remained in police cells following custodial orders, Musiyo was released on police bail to seek medication but disappeared. A warrant of his arrest has since been issued.
On Monday, November 20, Odera was arraigned at Kibera Law Courts charged with stealing from a locked motor vehicle, whereby he was released on Sh500,000 bond.
The pursuit of the other two known accomplices is ongoing as investigations on the recipients of the stolen valuables continue.
Earlier on October 16th, 2023 DCI Detectives based at Langata noted that they were investigating a case of stealing from a locked motor vehicle where a member of the public lost cash and valuables worth hundreds of thousands to car breakers in Nairobi West.
“The victim fell in the hands the notorious gang that has been terrorizing Nairobi residents after he left the cash that he had withdrawn from the bank, a school bag, a laptop and his mobile phone inside his motor vehicle and went to a supermarket only to return and find all of them missing.” A statement from DCI read.
Preliminary investigations reportedly revealed that the thugs were operating in a motor vehicle that had fake number plates to hide their tracks but detectives are burning midnight oil to bring them to book.
