• The thieves pretend to be clients visiting a gym at the mall
• They steal car keys then press their remote buttons to see which of the vehicles at the parking responds before driving it away
Two suspected car thieves have been arrested at TRM, a mall along Thika Super Highway, in Roysambu, Nairobi.
Kelvin Mokaya and Moses Alimlim were nabbed on Monday by security guards who then alerted police officers from the Kasarani station. They were detained at the station.
Kasarani subcounty police commander Peter Kimani said the two are part of a syndicate that steals cars and other items from those visiting a gym at the mall and other parts of the city.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations immediately launched a probe. Kimani said the suspects will be arraigned once investigations are completed. Kimani said the suspects also wait for unsuspecting Kenyans visiting ATM outlets in the city, they observe while they withdraw money from the machines then trail them.
"Following the job we have continued doing of cracking down on thieves who steal vehicles in the city, the numbers of those arrested have increased. Others were nabbed on Kariobangi and Kahawa West estates a few days ago,” he said in his office on Tuesday.
He said all the recovered vehicles and spare parts, among other items, have been kept at a yard in the station. “We have continued with investigations. Yesterday [Monday], we arrested two thieves who have been stealing from people at TRM. They are vehicle thieves,” Kimani said.
"They get to the gym pretending to be clients who want to join others, steal bags of the real clients where they have been kept in changing rooms. From the bags, they steal car keys and head to the parking lots where they press the alarms while checking on which vehicle responds."
The thieves then drive off when car owners are still busy in the gym. They also steal phones, money and laptops, he said. The police have recovered car keys and three vehicles, including one from the botched TRM theft.
“One of the thieves was arrested while driving a stolen vehicle towards the mall’s gate but when he got to its exit, he was discovered by security officers since he did not have a microchip to open the gate. The officers then intervened by detaining him before alerting the police,” he added.
(Edited by F'Orieny)