Editor's Review

The stolen phones were to be consigned to Uganda, where they would be resold.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) busted a racket of suspected thieves linked with the rampant disappearance of mobile phones within the Nairobi city centre.

The detectives established the suspects had been robbing unsuspecting city dwellers of their phones before consigning the loot to Ugandan black markets.

Malumasi Aisha and Agaba Anestus Majuni, both of Ugandan descent, were arrested alongside their Kenyan counterparts Sarah Njeri, and her sister Mary Wangui.

The arrests were undertaken on the evening of Friday, October 14, in an intelligence-led operation conducted by detectives within the city.

The stolen phones would be consigned to Uganda to be resold.

According to the police, Malumasi, who was the first to be cornered, was found with a parcel of 13 smartphones believed to be destined for the black market in Uganda.

He then led the sleuths to shop E17, located at Munyu Business Centre, where his Kenyan accomplices were busy receiving other stolen mobile phones.

After a brief but detailed interrogation, the suspects hurriedly led the detectives to a fourth suspect, Majuni, who was waiting for the package destined for Uganda at the Simba Coach bus station.

The detectives from the elite Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau based at the DCI Nairobi Regional Command have since cast their nets wider for more suspects in what is believed to be an elaborate syndicate sneaking stolen mobile phones to neighbouring countries.

Owing to the increase in phone theft cases, the DCI said state-of-the-art technology had been deployed by the Cybercrime detectives based at the National Forensic Laboratory to apprehend more suspects.