Three arrested, five stolen vehicles recovered as police uncover car theft syndicate

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday recovered five stolen vehicles and arrested three members of a car theft syndicate operating in the South Rift region.

The three suspects were found in possession of three of the vehicles within Kitale town; the fourth vehicle was found at a car wash in Kiminini while the fifth was discovered in Matunda.

This follows the previous arrest of the suspected syndicate mastermind, 25-year-old Aaron Kibet Ckepkwony on June 12, 2020 while driving another stolen vehicle on the Sotik-Kericho road with two other occupants.

Chepkwony reportedly defied orders to stop hence prompting a police chase; the two suspects jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

The vehicle he was driving was, upon investigations, found to have been stolen from a police officer in Matunda and fake number plates fixed.

According to the DCI, a multi-agency team was deployed to hunt down the gang following reports  of over 11 cases of vehicle theft all linked to them.

“The gang which targets parked and unsecured motor vehicles is believed to be using fake registration plates before selling them to unsuspecting buyers, and the DCI hereby cautions the public of the same,” said the investigative authority.

“Further, anyone who may have lost their cars to thievery are urged to report at DCI Kitale with their proof of ownership for identification.”

The four arrested suspects are set to be charged as investigations continue in pursuit of more recoveries and neutralizing of the entire syndicate.