A Nairobi court has detained for seven days suspects who are alleged to be part of a large syndicate in stealing motor vehicles.
- While detaining the suspects,Milimani senior principal magistrate Robinson Ondieki concurred with the prayer of the investing officer who requested for time to conclude Investigations and prefer charges against the four.
“Noting the respondents did not oppose the prayer of their detention, an order is hereby issued allowing the investigating officer to detain them in custody for seven days,” the magistrate ordered.
Investigation Officer told the court that a report was made at Parklands Police Station on March 22, 2025, by one Benedict Musiko operating a car hire company Given Tours and Safaris.
He told the court that on March 19, 2025, William Mugecha Ngugi hired a motor vehicle registration number KDR 722K, make Toyota Axio from is company for a period of three days,
“After three days lapsed upon which the contract was signed, the suspect did not return the vehicle,” Shamalla told the court.
On March 21, 2025, the complainant checked on the car track and noticed it had been switched off. He contacted the agent who had linked him with the suspect and could not find him on phone prompting to report the matter.
Shamalla said that “the investigation and operation to recover the said motor vehicle commenced and several individuals recording statements.”
On April 3, 2025, the stolen vehicle was recovered abandoned at Joska in Ruai fixed a fake registration number KDM 697Z.
Further operation by the DCI led to the arrest of Mutua John Julius, George Nyakundi, Simon Mugo Chege and Raphael Oloo Kira.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Mutua and Nyakundi are specialized in hiring motor vehicles using fraudulent identifications only to steal them,
“They had stolen William Mugecha’s identification card and a driving license and impersonated to be William and hired the vehicle from Given Tours and Safaris and went on to fix a fake registration number,” the officer told the court.
The vehicle identity on side mirrors and on brake lights were erased by other experts in car theft syndicate Simon Mugo Chege and Raphael Oloo Kira and further facilitated the production of fake registration number KDM 697Z who were also nabbed at Grogon along Kirinyaga Road.
Further Investigations revealed that other motor vehicles involved in such stealing are KDQ 565Z and KDQ 563J whose number plates were recovered during the operation.
The officer prayed the respondents be denied bond citing that releasing them at this point will jeopardize the investigations and police ongoing investigations to recover the already established motor vehicles,
“Releasing the suspects now might also interfere with the hiding cells where the stolen vehicles are dismantled, production of fake number plates, panel beating and altering with the chassis numbers hence denial of justice to members of the public,” he submitted.
The investigators also want to get the history of the involved motor vehicles from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) .
The officer further told the court that the respondents place of abode is not known hence posing to be flight risk.
In his ruling, the magistrate allowed the application by the officer and ordered the suspects to be detained at Parklands Police Station until April 14, 2025, when the matter will be mentioned for further direction.
