Four teenagers held over Dandora phone-snatching spree

Police arrest boys aged 13 to 16 after a string of thefts targeting motorists and pedestrians across Eastlands ahead of the festive season.

By Oduor Victor

Four teenagers aged between 13 and 16 were arrested yesterday after a phone-snatching spree that targeted motorists, matatu passengers and pedestrians across Dandora, Kayole, Umoja and along Mutarakwa and Komarock Roads in Nairobi’s Eastlands.

The boys operated in small groups, preying on people using phones in vehicles with open windows and pedestrians — particularly women — walking while on their phones. After grabbing a device, they fled shouting “Thief! Thief!” to sow confusion and cover their escape. Several stolen phones were later recovered from a nearby playground.

Their run ended near Mowlem, where police officers on patrol witnessed the gang snatch a phone from a passenger inside a matatu, gave chase and arrested all four on the spot. The suspects are being held at Mowlem Police Station. Under questioning, they reportedly told officers they were raising money for Christmas.

No formal charges had been announced by the time of going to press. The case carries an urgent public-interest dimension: juvenile crime is rising in Nairobi’s low-income estates, and the festive season historically brings a sharp surge in opportunistic theft.

Separately, detectives from the Buruburu Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Saturday arrested two adult suspects and recovered a loaded Canik pistol with 11 rounds of ammunition from a house in Baraka, Mowlem. Both remain in custody as investigators pursue possible links to armed robberies in the area.

The streets of Eastlands are sending a warning the authorities cannot afford to ignore.

The post Four teenagers held over Dandora phone-snatching spree appeared first on The Mt Kenya Times.