DCI nab NTSA officers involved in forced transfer of vehicles, discover over 450 ‘genuine’ logbooks

By , K24 Digital
On Fri, 17 Dec, 2021 21:40 | 1 min read
PHOTO/COURTESY

Sleuths drawn from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation(DCI) have discovered over 450 genuine motor vehicle logbooks at a cyber cafe along Desai Road in Ngara, Nairobi.

In a statement posted on social media, the investigative agency stated that its detectives worked on a "tip from members of the public in efforts to intensify a crackdown on organized criminal gangs in the city."

At the same time, the detectives also arrested two NTSA officials identified as Simon Musembi Sammy and Richard Otieno Ojwang who are believed to be among the syndicate of criminals involved in modern motor vehicle scamming in the country.

The two were nabbed in possession of original seals and assorted motor vehicle registration documents in the cyber which according to the DCI has been turned into a motor vehicle registration centre, where an application for a logbook takes a few hours before it is delivered from an insider at NTSA.

As explained by the DCI, these criminals in collaboration with the NTSA officials also illegally develop affidavits and commissions them, before sending them to the country's body of motor vehicle registration for forced transfer of motor vehicles.

"In a matter of minutes, the transfer of a motor vehicle is finalized exposing the possibility of one’s vehicle being transferred without his knowledge. The detectives established that the syndicate develops falsified importation documents from a renowned car dealer and ETR receipts, making it one of the most elaborate motor vehicles scams in recent times," part of the statement read.

During the operation, the sleuths also arrested a driver who had visited the cyber to collect his logbook.

After inspection, they established that the vehicle he was driving had its chassis number tempered with.

DCI has launched further investigations to arrest the rest of the NTSA officers involved in the crime.