This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
On October 8, 2019, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) issued a statement cautioning Kenyans against buying electronic gadgets from individuals and dealers without fixed physical addresses and unidentifiable premises.
The DCI warned that such traders often buy stolen devices from armed gangsters who have violently robbed innocent citizens, and that purchasing from them poses a significant risk to consumers.
According to the DCI, thieves steal electronic gadgets, rebrand and repackage them using polythene bags, and then resell them as new devices.
Recently, police officers in Nairobi recovered 254 laptops believed to have been stolen from a house in Kilimani, Nairobi, and a local company published serial numbers of over 1000 laptops it claimed had been stolen from the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi.
The DCI advised Kenyans to insist on being issued with receipts clearly itemising the particulars of the bought gadget, and to keep copies of the receipt by securing them electronically.
"It's risky and dangerous to buy any electronic device from suspicious outlets," the DCI said in a statement on Twitter.
Dealers in electronics have been urged to provide inimitable security codes while selling devices to deter the sale of suspicious goods, making it easier for investigative agencies to track and identify stolen devices.
Kenyans have also been asked to report to the police any suspicious goods.
