Police officers from Central Police Station have arrested a suspect believed to be connected to a phone theft network operating within Nairobi's Central Business District.
The arrest followed an intelligence-led operation, during which the suspect was found allegedly tampering with the IMEI numbers of mobile phones suspected to be stolen.
During initial questioning, the suspect reportedly led detectives to another building, where two other individuals were also arrested.
A subsequent search of the premises yielded a collection of electronic devices, including 36 Samsung phones, 23 Vivo phones, two Nokia phones, one LG phone, one HMD phone, one Tecno phone, one Motorola phone, six M-Kopa Samsung phones, two M-Kopa Nokia phones, and two Vivo motherboards, many without back covers.
Police also recovered two Dell CPUs, two HP Elite CPUs, and one desktop computer, among other items.
The three individuals are currently in custody as investigations continue ahead of their arraignment in court.
The operation highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement officers to curb mobile phone theft in the county.
On July 10, 2025, police arrested another suspect in Nairobi and recovered several electronic devices during an intelligence-led raid.
Officers from Utalii Police Station raided the suspect’s residence, which also operates as an electronics repair shop, following a tip-off from the public.
“The suspect was placed in custody, awaiting arraignment in court as investigations continue,” a police officer said.
During the raid, police recovered 72 mobile phones, two laptops, one Universal Flashing Interface (UFI), a Pandora device, a camera, two external hard drives, and a CPU.
Preliminary investigations indicated that 32 of the mobile phones had been positively identified by M-KOPA as devices reported stolen by their customers.
The remaining electronics have been secured as exhibits, pending identification by their rightful owners.
The suspect remains in custody as detectives continue to establish the extent of the alleged operations and identify any possible accomplices.
