The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has issued a warning to the public against buying electronics from dealers with no fixed physical addresses.
“The public is hereby warned never to buy any electronic gadgets including laptops, mobile phones, TV sets etc. from an individual or a dealer who has no fixed physical address; identifiable trading building/ premises with requisite authorization documents that are conspicuously displayed including licenses, permits and other local and/or national approvals,” read a tweet by the DCI.
Buyers have been further urged to always insist on a receipt clearly itemising the particulars of the gadgets they have purchased and to keep it secure by taking a picture of the receipt and saving it in a reliable system.
This move is to curb the sale of stolen gadgets to unknowing individuals who could be linked with the crime and put through rigorous investigations before their innocence is proven, or wrongful sentencing if they can’t prove themselves innocent.
“Most are those who buy stolen items from armed gangsters who have violently robbed innocent citizens and in the process kill or maim them. Don't buy a device of a fellow murdered or maimed Kenyan. When police forensically investigate & find you in possession of such said devices, by the time it is established that you were not involved in the crime, you may have suffered immensely," said the DCI.
Adding: "Being found with suspected stolen property, you suffer immediate consequences of the actual criminal, which may escalate to death sentences.”
Electronic dealers have been asked to seize the IT/ICT technology and ensure they mark at the counter every electronic gadget bought by a customer as a value-added incentive with indelible initials as may please the customer for safety and security purposes. “This makes it hard for criminals to hawk it and easier for investigative agencies to track and identify.”
Equally, owners can mark in the same manner through various private experts in the market.
The DCI has asked Kenyans to report in confidence at any police station or DCI office should they suspect that they may be harbouring any gadget of a suspicious source.
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