- The suspect had reportedly sold seven bullets from the pistol. When it went missing, it had 15 bullets but when it was recovered it had eight, police said.
- Attendants there are supposed to remove and leave their overalls when signing off, the management said.
Image: FILE:
A carwash attendant has been arrested and a pistol stolen from a vehicle he was washing was recovered from him in a police operation in Nairobi.
The Ceska pistol was reported missing from a car at a carwash yard along Ralph Bunche Road on Tuesday, April 2 afternoon.
The owner of the weapon who is a civilian firearm holder working with the government had left the weapon in the vehicle while it was being washed and went for lunch.
On coming back, he said he found the weapon missing from a compartment where he had kept it.
This prompted a search in vain. A team of police was called to the scene and reviewed security cameras in the yard, which captured an attendant removing the pistol and concealing it under an overall he was wearing.
He later walked out of the gate while wearing the overall contrary to the rules.
Attendants there are supposed to remove and leave their overalls when signing off, the management said.
The following day on Wednesday he did not report to work as police searched for him.
He was nabbed along Loita Street in the Central Business District where he planned to hand over the weapon to an accomplice.
The suspect had reportedly sold seven bullets from the pistol. When it went missing, it had 15 bullets but when it was recovered it had eight, police said.
Police say such weapons are used to commit crimes.
The investigators said they are looking for more accomplices in the case. They are also investigating to establish if he has past criminal cases.
Law enforcement officers want carwash owners to vet their staff as part of efforts to address such incidents.
The police also want the attendants to install many security cameras to help in such incidents.
This follows increased cases where attendants are stealing cash and other valuables from cars and later deny the same.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said they are pursuing suspects in some of the reported cases.
“The yard owners also need to take measures to help tame the practice,” he said.