The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have apprehended six individuals believed to be members of a theft syndicate.
The suspects were found to have engaged in the illicit practice of renting cars and subsequently stealing them. Machakos DCIO Nzioka Singi disclosed that the suspects specifically targeted Prados and Isuzu Dmax vehicles, masquerading as individuals hiring them for wedding purposes.
The modus operandi involved the suspects renting the aforementioned vehicles in Nairobi with the intended destination being Machakos. Once in possession of the vehicles, they would guide the unsuspecting drivers to a specified location under the pretense of picking up the bride.
According to the DCI perpetrators reportedly blindfold the driver at the initial location, subsequently relocating them to a waiting vehicle. Once in possession, the criminals remove the car tracker, facilitating the theft of the vehicle, which is then driven to undisclosed destinations.
“Singi, in collaboration with Interpol, confirmed the recovery of two stolen vehicles from Tanzania. Notably, a Toyota Prado, identified by a foreign registration plate T443 DMW, was among the recovered vehicles,” DCI stated.
“Of the six individuals apprehended, two are currently held in Machakos prison, while the remaining four appeared before Principal Magistrate Mary Otindo on Wednesday. These cases are scheduled for a joint hearing.”
The four suspects face charges of robbery with violence, specifically accused of stealing motor vehicles with registration numbers KDH 908T and KDL 030Y on December 2, 2023, in Machakos.
