Car theft syndicate unearthed, ex-military officer arrested

Police in Nakuru on Monday unearthed a vehicle theft syndicate and arrested two people, including an interdicted military officer.

The two, said to be the ring leaders, are believed to be part of a cartel with tentacles in towns including Nakuru, Nyahururu and Nairobi.

OPERATION

Naivasha police boss Samuel Waweru said the suspects were accosted in Nakuru town on Sunday, hours after they carjacked a motorist on Naivasha-Maai Mahiu highway.

Mr Waweru explained that they used a tracking device fixed to trace the Probox car to the the outskirts of Nakuru town.

"The police officers who were on the lookout pounced on the duo as they tried to board the stolen car," je saod.

The two were driven to Naivasha Police Station, where they were held for questioning.

Mr Waweru said the military officer was attached to the intelligence wing but was interdicted in January on disciplinary grounds.

A source at the police station told the Nation that senior military officers visited the station on Monday afternoon to follow up on the arrest.

"They confirmed that the suspect was interdicted," said the source.

The suspects will be arraigned once investigations are completed.

SECOND CASE

Meanwhile, police in Naivasha have recovered a saloon car that was stolen from the owner at gunpoint on Sunday.

Mr Waweru confirmed the recovery, saying the vehicle was taken from Nyondia.

"We are still pursuing the suspect who fled immediately after the vehicle stalled a few metres from the robbery scene,"  he said, adding the two cars were driven to the station.

This comes in the wake of increased cases of highway robberies along Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret Highway, which connects Kenya to the landlocked countries of Uganda, Southern Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi.

Trucks and trailers have also been targeted.