The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has recovered 42 stolen phones at a phone repair shop in Nairobi.
In a statement on Monday, March 11, DCI said detectives were tracking a lost phone when they located the shop.
According to the DCI, the phone was stolen in the Kilimani area.
“While pursuing a stolen phone whose owner was attacked in the Kilimani area, detectives from Kilimani sub-county today afternoon seized 42 suspected stolen smartphones from a phone repair stall located along Kimathi Street in Nairobi,” DCI stated.
Matthew Mwangi Gachago, 30, who is the owner of the shop housed within the Pioneer building was arrested in the operation.
The police have so far launched a verification exercise to establish ownership of the seizure.
This comes a week after a heightened crackdown led to the recovery of several mobile phones, laptops, and tablets from repair stalls in parts of the city and its outskirts.
During the operation, the DCI seized over 240 suspected stolen mobile phones, and over 13 suspects were arrested.
DCI boss Mohamed Amin said the region-wide operation conducted on March 4, 2024, targeted suspicious phone repair stalls.
“The DCI Nairobi Region Coordinator has warned phone thieves posing as phone dealers and phone repairers that detectives are hot of their trail,” a statement from the DCI read in part.
“Equally, cautioning legit vendors to be careful while handling second-hand electronics as they may put them in serious problems with the law.”
Also Read: 16 Suspects Arrested As DCI Recovers Over 182 Stolen Phones In A Nairobi Region Crackdown
