DCI Take Action After Twitter Uproar Over Syokimau Night Robberies

Detectives drawn from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday, June 23 intercepted a motor vehicle used in a string of house burglaries in Syokimau, Machakos County, some of which were caught on CCTV.

The investigative agency noted in a statement that the interception followed a mid-morning car chase with thievery suspects in Kasarani, Nairobi.

"The pursuit and subsequent interception of the vehicle in which several suspected stolen properties were recovered followed numerous complaints by victims, where most of the breakings were staged during the day," stated the DCI.

A motor vehicle used in a series of house breaking incidents in Syokimau and tools recovered during an interception by DCI detectives. /TWITTER.DCI

CCTV footage circulated in various social media platforms captured the detained vehicle - a white Toyota Vanguard bearing fake registration numbers - being used by the suspects.

Staging a sting operation, a team of DCI's Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau detectives caught up with the suspects at Roasters area in Kasarani, but the occupants defied orders to stop and sped off towards Baba Dogo as police gave chase.

"The occupants then abandoned the vehicle at Ngei Estate & escaped on foot, leaving behind the car Reg. No KCX 030P, whose registration in most thievery operations was altered to KCJ 530C," added the DCI.

Upon search, five TV sets, a PlayStation 5, a Lenovo laptop, crowbars, metal hooks, a bunch of keys and several number plate stickers were found.

The sleuths added that proper documentation was done and the recoveries preserved as exhibits as they continued to pursue the suspects who escaped and any possible accomplices, urging Kenyans to reach out to them through their #FichuakwaDCI hotline 0800 722 203.

The developments came after a hashtag dubbed #SyokimauRobbery went viral on Monday, June 19 after a gang of three was captured by CCTV cameras breaking into several houses and fleeing with valuables of unknown value, which raised alarm among residents of Syokimau.

The footage captured one of the gang members quietly emerging with a television set among other household items alleged to have been stolen from a house they had broken into.