Detectives have recovered a luxury vehicle stolen in the United Kingdom from a car yard along Nairobi’s Northern Bypass in a major crackdown targeting local and international motor vehicle theft syndicates.
The recovery was made during a week-long, multi-agency operation dubbed Operation Carback II, which concluded yesterday and targeted stolen vehicles and vehicle-related criminal networks.
The operation was spearheaded by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through its INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Nairobi and the Operations Directorate, in collaboration with other investigative units and national law enforcement agencies.
During the operation, detectives raided a motor vehicle yard along the Northern Bypass and recovered a grey Land Rover Discovery bearing registration number KCY 001J.
A check against the INTERPOL database established that the luxury vehicle had been reported stolen in the UK. It was subsequently impounded and escorted to DCI Headquarters for further processing and investigations.
Kenya participated in the coordinated international operation under INTERPOL’s Project Drive Out, conducted in collaboration with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).
The nationwide crackdown brought together several agencies, including the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service.
Detectives physically inspected more than 1,800 vehicles and checked over 260,000 vehicles against the INTERPOL database across Nairobi, Eastern, Central, Nyanza, Western, Coast and Rift Valley regions.
In a separate discovery in Thika West Sub-County, detectives found a white Mercedes-Benz Kompressor fitted with registration number KBZ 325J, which belongs to an orange Suzuki station wagon.
The discovery raised questions about the vehicle’s identity and registration, prompting further investigations.
