DCI Raids Car Dismantling Yards

There has been an ongoing crackdown on motor vehicle syndicates in the country due to increasing cases of motor vehicles and spare parts, which have been on the recent past on the rise.

On April 8, 2025 National Police Service (NPS), through the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), conducted an intelligence-led operation along Kangundo Road, which is notorious for the vice.

At the same time, the security team raided several establishments in the same area suspected of operating as an illegal car dismantling yard, even as the officers recovered an assortment of number plates, motor vehicle parts, metal-cutting equipment and three vehicles with altered chassis numbers.

During the raid, the officers were able to recover one additional vehicle along the same road with suspected number plates.

“Three suspects who were arrested in the raid are already in custody pending processing, “read a statement from NPS in part, adding that all four vehicles recovered were documented and towed to the DCI offices for further forensic verification.

Also Read: Man Sneaking into Compounds at Night and Stealing Car Parts Caught in the Act

The unit urged Kenyans to come forth whenever they come across or suspect any plan of vehicle vandalism by reporting to the nearest police station.

Rise of vehicle vandalism

Most recently, there has been a surge of vehicle and vehicle parts vandalism across the country. On March 3, 2025, detectives nabbed one of the suspects in the city, during which they recovered a stolen vehicle.

For instance, in March this year, police arrested one of four suspected vehicle vandalisers recovering a stolen vehicle. The vandalizers are now getting smart in that they hire vehicles using illicit documents and never return them.

These notorious thieves are smart as they have guys who are perfect in erasing and altering chassis numbers of stolen vehicles and who are able to do panel beating and producing fake number plates, and changing various mirrors, making stolen vehicles hard to recognize.

The NPS and DCI have been on the lookout for the culprits after the surging number of citizens reporting cases of vehicle vandalism and have promised to work hand in hand to end the menace once and for all.

Also Read: Nairobi Gang Using New Tricks to Steal from Parked Cars Cornered

This week alone, there have been several reported car vandalism in the country. For example, most recently in Kisauni and Nairobi.

Data on vehicle vandalism

Data from the National Police Service (NPS) and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicated that cars stolen annually range between 1,000 and 1,600. KNBS reported an increase in 2023 to 1,687 stolen vehicles from 1,459 reported in 2022.

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