DCI Arrest Owner Of Shop Selling Stolen Mobile Phones
The DCI reported on Thursday, September 7 that the suspect, Jeremiah Mbugua, operates a second-hand mobile phone shop at Califonia house along Gaberone Street in Nairobi.
Marvin Chege 
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a man believed to be in possession of hundreds of mobile phones believed to have been stolen from members of the public.
The DCI reported on Thursday, September 7 that the suspect, Jeremiah Mbugua, operates a second-hand mobile phone shop at Califonia house along Gaberone Street in Nairobi.
The sleuths had raided his shop in a sting operation and recovered the assortment of stolen mobile phones, adding that Mbugua was alleged to have masterminded a criminal syndicate behind the theft of the phones in the Central Business District (CBD).
Stolen phones which were recovered by the DCI officers on Thursday, September 7, 2023. /DCI
"Detectives have arrested a man suspected to be the mastermind behind the theft of mobile phones in the city and recovered hundreds of stolen phones.
"The suspect Jeremiah Mbugua, who operates a second-hand mobile phone shop at Califonia house along Gaberone Street, was arrested following a raid at his shop where the stolen phones were found," stated the DCI in part.
The raid also saw the recovery of sophisticated equipment, including one that erases data completely from the phone.
Almost all phones are designed with the option of flushing out data and user information, commonly known as master reset, hard reset or master clear.
The process resets a phone back to its original factory settings. However, in this case, Mbugua was found in possession of the equipment that erased data from a phone after it was stolen.
"Also recovered were a software installation device, external storage devices and universal flushing device interface gadgets popularly known as ndongois," added the DCI.
The suspect is currently in custody assisting detectives with investigations and will face charges of handling stolen goods.
The officers transferred the phones and computers to the DCI headquarters for further investigations, including a forensic examination meant to establish the owners of the devices or any other data that had been transferred from them by the suspects.
While applying forensic examination guidelines, the officers will also seek to know if any of the phones and computers have been used in criminal activities in the past.
A person who handles stolen goods is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment with hard labour for a term not exceeding 14 years.
