How Detectives Used CCTV Footage To Crackdown On Dangerous City Thugs

In an operation launched to bring to an end the era of city thugs dreaded for stealing from locked motor vehicles, Nairobi region detectives have rounded up five suspects that stole Ksh 900,000 and another USD 15,000 from a businessman based in Nairobi’s South C area two weeks ago.

The distressed victim who reported at Akila Police Station in Lang’ata indicated that he had just parked his BMW X1 along Muhoho Road opposite Rubis Petrol Station and entered an auto parts shop when the felons struck.

According to the DCI, he went back to his car less than five minutes later, only to find a smashed rear window and a missing bag containing the money.

Also missing were his KCB, DTB & Gulf African Bank ATM cards, national ID card, smart driving license and assorted job-related documents.

Later that evening, the victim received a message alert indicating that Ksh 40,000 had been withdrawn from his KCB account and another Ksh 40,000 from the DTB account at an ATM in Embakasi.

Getting on the job, the Nairobi region Crime Research team initiated a forensic-led trail on the suspects.

Backed up by the Operations Unit, the detectives the 1st suspect Charles Nzomo who was captured by a nearby CCTV breaking into the motor vehicle.

The suspects.

The footage also captured Paul Mukungi and Vincent Juma Raguma keeping watch as Nzomo employed his childhood skills in hunting with a catapult to smash the car window.

All this time, another female suspect, Jane Mueni Mutinda was busy stalking the victim, as Shaban Rashid Maingi waited in a getaway Mazda Demio fitted with registration plates KCE 822F belonging to a Subaru car.

One after another, the suspects were rounded up Friday night before the spy vehicle belonging to Charles Nzomo was traced to Tsavo Gardens. In it, the victim’s KCB ATM card and car-breaking tools including a catapult were found.

The five suspects were escorted to DCI Lang’ata offices where they are booked for the long weekend.

Efforts are in place to recover a second motor vehicle and trace and arrest a sixth accomplice, Rodgers Ndung’u, who fled to Mombasa.

Detectives believe that the syndicate is linked to another four suspects who were arrested on February 16 last year after a series of car breakings using the same tools of trade still in South C, Nairobi.