Two security guards and a cleaner have been accused of stealing shredded motor vehicle number plates.
During plea taking, Kibera Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Philip Mutua heard that “Erastus Maingi Gitari, Simon Wamalwa Juma and Stephen Mongare Begi allegedly committed the offense unlawfully on December 4 at Hifadhi house.”
According to court records, the three entered a godown and committed a felony by stealing shredded motor-vehicle number plates valued at Ksh200,000; the property of National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
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On the alternative charge, Simon Wamalwa Juma and Stephen Mongare Begi were accused of neglect by failing to prevent a felony.
The court heard that on the said date, the two, being security guards failed to prevent the theft.
Before the incident, some old number plates had been stashed inside two sacks after being shredded and kept safe in a godown. And on the fateful day, one of the NTSA employees visited the go-down and noticed that two sacks of old steel number plates that had been shredded were missing.
It was then that the CCTV expert was notified of the theft and in reviewing the footage the two were captured stealing the sacks of shredded number plates.
Unexpectedly, one of the guards was captured on the surveillance camera stepping out with a number plate and later on seen again dragging one of the sacks.
From the footage that was reviewed, the guard was seen handing over the sacks to the cleaner while the second guard was supervising the loading of the sacks to vehicles within the company premises.
After the conclusion of the CCTV review, the matter was handed over to the police who arrested the suspects.
They were then arraigned in court where they denied the charges.
They were released on Ksh100,000 cash bail.
