Six arrested as DCI exposes theft syndicate targeting hired cars

Six suspects have been apprehended by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Machakos County after they were found to be part of a theft syndicate that has been hiring cars and stealing them afterwards.

According to Machakos DCIO Nzioka Singi, the suspects had been targeting Prados and Isuzu Dmax cars while pretending to be hiring them for weddings.

The suspects are said to have hired the said vehicles in Nairobi destined for Machakos. They then direct the unsuspecting driver to a building where the bride is supposed to be picked.

At the premise, they are said to blindfold the driver and move him to a waiting car, eject the car tracker and drive the stolen car to unknown destinations.

Singi confirmed that in collaboration with Interpol, they have recovered two vehicles from Tanzania among them a Toyota Prado which was recovered with a foreign registration number plate T443 DMW.

Among the six arrested, two are in Machakos prison while four appeared before Principal Magistrate Mary Otindo on Wednesday. The cases are set to be heard jointly.

The four are being charged with robbery with violence and are being accused of robbing motor vehicles with registration numbers KDH 908T, and KDL 030Y on December 2, 2023, in Machakos.

Singi added that many vehicles have been stolen from Nairobi City and taken to Machakos since last year, further urging those running similar businesses to remain vigilant.