Mercedes Car With Fake Plates Registration Seized in Thika as DCI Targets Vehicle Theft Syndicates

Detectives in Thika have seized a Mercedes-Benz Kompressor displaying registration plates belonging to a completely different vehicle during a nationwide crackdown on local and international motor vehicle theft networks.

The white Mercedes, found in Thika West Sub-County, was fitted with registration number KBZ 325J which investigators established were officially assigned to an orange Suzuki station wagon.

The suspicious mismatch raised questions about the Mercedes’ identity, ownership and registration history. The case has been handed over to the Thika West Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer for further investigation.

The discovery was part of Operation Carback II, a week-long multi-agency exercise targeting organised syndicates involved in stealing, disguising and trafficking vehicles and spare parts across national borders.

Along Nairobi’s Northern Bypass, detectives raided a motor vehicle yard and recovered a grey Land Rover Discovery bearing registration number KCY 001J. A search of the INTERPOL database revealed that the luxury vehicle had been reported stolen in the United Kingdom.

The Land Rover was impounded and taken to DCI Headquarters for further examination as detectives investigate how it entered Kenya and identify those involved in its importation and registration.

In Embakasi, officers also recovered a forklift bearing registration number KAD 132K, which was found to belong to a crawler vehicle.

The forklift’s chassis number had allegedly been erased, raising further suspicion about its identity and origin. The case was referred to DCI Embakasi for investigation and possible legal action.

Operation Carback II was led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Nairobi and the Operations Directorate.

The operation involved the National Transport and Safety Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service.

During the nationwide sweep, officers physically inspected more than 1,800 vehicles and checked over 260,000 registration details against INTERPOL’s database.

Teams targeted motor vehicle yards, showrooms, garages, spare-parts shops, bazaars and highway checkpoints across Nairobi, Central, Eastern, Coast, Nyanza, Western and Rift Valley regions.

Kenya conducted the operation alongside other INTERPOL member countries under Project Drive Out, in collaboration with Europol. The initiative seeks to dismantle transnational vehicle theft networks, recover stolen vehicles and improve cooperation between law enforcement agencies across borders.