Police detectives in Bomet have arrested a suspected serial phone snatcher believed to have been behind a string of mobile phone theft incidents across parts of South Rift and Nyanza. The arrest followed a public tip-off that helped officers track and capture the suspect and recover several stolen devices.
The suspect, Jackson Mahono, aged 29, was arrested by detectives from Bomet Central after weeks of complaints from victims who had lost their phones in street snatching incidents.
According to investigators, the suspect had allegedly turned busy streets into his regular hunting ground, targeting unsuspecting members of the public and quickly disappearing with their devices.
During the arrest, officers recovered multiple smartphones believed to have been stolen from different victims.
The recovered phones include popular brands such as Vivo, Infinix, Samsung, Tecno, and Nokia, which were reportedly snatched in separate incidents reported in Kehancha, Migori, and Bomet.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect was planning to flash and alter the phones’ software before reselling them to unsuspecting buyers in Migori and nearby towns. Detectives say this is a common tactic used to hide device identity and make tracing difficult.
The suspect is currently in police custody undergoing processing ahead of his court arraignment. Meanwhile, the recovered phones are set to undergo forensic analysis to help identify their rightful owners and support the case in court.
Authorities say the arrest highlights the impact of intelligence-led operations and public cooperation in fighting street crime, adding that efforts are ongoing to curb mobile phone theft and protect citizens from property loss.
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