Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have recovered a Land Rover Discovery reported stolen in the United Kingdom during a nationwide operation targeting suspected motor vehicle theft syndicates.
The grey vehicle, registration number KCY 001J, was found at a motor vehicle yard along Nairobi’s Northern Bypass during Operation Carback II, a multi-agency enforcement exercise aimed at identifying stolen vehicles and investigating irregular vehicle registrations.
A check against the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) database reportedly confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen in the UK. It was impounded and taken to DCI headquarters for further investigations.
The recovery formed part of a week-long operation conducted by Kenyan law enforcement agencies in collaboration with international partners to combat cross-border motor vehicle crime.
The crackdown also exposed other suspected cases of vehicle identity and registration irregularities, which have been referred for further investigation.
In Thika West Sub County, officers discovered a white Mercedes-Benz Kompressor bearing registration number KBZ 325J, which is registered to an orange Suzuki station wagon. The discrepancy prompted investigators to examine the vehicle’s identity and registration records.
In Embakasi, detectives recovered a forklift displaying registration number KAD 132K, which records indicated belonged to a crawler. Officers also found that its chassis number had been erased, raising further concerns about its identity and prompting additional investigations by DCI Embakasi.
The nationwide operation involved several government 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.
According to the DCI, officers physically inspected more than 1,800 vehicles and checked over 260,000 against INTERPOL records during the exercise, which covered Nairobi, Eastern, Central, Nyanza, Western, Coast and Rift Valley regions.
The operation was conducted under INTERPOL’s Project Drive Out in collaboration with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), building on a similar crackdown carried out in 2024.
Investigations into the recovered vehicles and suspected registration offences are ongoing. The findings could inform further action against individuals found to have participated in vehicle theft, fraudulent registration or the handling of stolen property.
