Nairobi Regional Police Commander George Sedah has asked Kenyans who recently lost their phones to criminal elements within Nairobi County to report the matter to the nearest police station.

Sedah spoke on Saturday, May 24, moments after the arrest of six people believed to be part of a phone snatching syndicate operating within the Central Business District (CBD).

During the operation, detectives recovered 77 mobile phones suspected to have been stolen within Nairobi alongside Ksh614,000 believed to be proceeds of crime.

Addressing the press, Sedah urged members of the public who could have lost their phones to report to the nearest police station for possible identification.

A photo of stolen phones retrieved by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations from a notorious phone thief.

Photo

Directorate of Criminal Investigations

"The Ksh614,000 and the 77 phones were from one person. We believe that the suspect has been using this money to purchase the stolen phones from the other thieves," Sedah revealed.

He went on to add: "They snatch you the phone, and he pays the thieves. This is an operation we intend to continue with across the city and other parts of Nairobi County."

According to the county police boss, phone snatching within Nairobi has been rampant in recent weeks, adding that a crackdown has since been launched to tame the menace.

The arrest comes amid reports of a surge in criminal activities within Nairobi, including incidents of robbery and extortion, particularly in residential areas.

Meanwhile, the latest incident follows a day after police officers arrested four other suspects, including three foreigners, and recovered several items, including an AK-47 rifle and 30 rounds of ammunition, in Nairobi's Pangani Estate.

Speaking at the Pangani Police Station, where the firearms were displayed, Sedah noted that the four suspects, three Ugandan nationals and one Kenyan, were arrested during the operation in the area.

Sedah revealed that the four were planning a raid in the Eastleigh area on Thursday night before their arrest, following a tip-off from members of the public.

"The criminals were using this gun to execute their crimes. We cannot rule out that there are crimes which have been committed within Nairobi and outside, so we are still pursuing other incidents," Sedah said.

Anti-riot police deployed along roads leading to DP Kithure Kindiki's Karen residence ahead of planned protests, May 13, 2025.

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Plo Singei