A car dealer will spend the next 9 days in custody after a Nairobi court allowed police to detain him to conclude investigations.
Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi allowed an application by the Banking Fraud Investigations Unit (BFIU) to detain Jeremiah Ngari Mugi whose vehicle was allegedly used to rob a KPLC engineer.
According to an affidavit by Corporal Johnes Nyangige, the complainant, Vincent Manyinza Bundi, an electrical engineer at Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), Stima Plaza reported the incident reported the incident on 8th November 2024.
According to the investigator, the complainant went to Urban Shaving in Ngara on the evening of 8th November where he parked his motor vehicle registration number KBM 798Z, make Subaru SG5 next to the entry.
The engineer was attended to until 9.30PM when the alarm of his vehicle went off prompting him to rush outside.
Bundi spotted his motor vehicle doors open and two people picking a bag and throwing it to their motor vehicle which was parked next to his with the engine running.
The court heard that upon checking, the complainant established that cash Sh 300,000, one HP laptop valued at Sh 60,000, one Microsoft interface valued at Sh 258,000, a mobile phone make Samsung note 4 valued at Sh 20,000, a mobile phone make iPhone valued at Sh 30,000 and some other documents were missing.
“Preliminary investigations from the scene of crime indicates that’s the suspects used a motor vehicle registration number KDA 358G make Nissan Latio white in colour which was captured by the CCTV footage at the said urban barbershop on 8th day of November 2024 at around 21:20hrs,” Corporal Nyangige said.
Bundi proceeded to report the matter at Parklands police station that evening and investigations commenced.
The investigators established that the captured vehicle was in possession of the respondent who said was a car dealer during the time of incident which was proven by one Kenneth Ndirangu who is said to be current owner.
Investigations revealed that the respondent took the vehicle to one of car yard known as The Car LIbrary which is along Kiambu road on 8/11/2024 for it to be sold.
However, on the same day, he demanded back and left with it until in the morning of 9th November 2024 when he returned it back to the said car yard.
“The respondent was traced and arrested on 10/11/2024 at Mirema Drive and said motor vehicle was recovered,” the officer said.
He added, “during the arrest the following items were recovered, four motor vehicle ignition keys, seven motor vehicle remotes, twenty-one motor vehicle logbooks, three mobile phones, one laptop, motor vehicle sales booklet, one ABSA bank cheque book, one rubber stamp, and other documents.”
Corporal Nyangige said that considering it is such a complex web of investigations, he is handicapped and could not finish investigation, including verification call data from Safaricom, Car track history of the recovered logbooks from NTSA, retrieval and processing of the cctv footage, phones to be forwarded to cybercrime and arrest of other suspects at large.
“Owing to the gravity of charges facing the respondent herein and the fact that he has no known place of abode, he is therefore a flight risk once released on cash bail owing that is staying in rental house,” the officer noted.
The case will be mentioned on 20th November 2024. In the meantime, the businessman will be detained at Parklands Police station.
