Two suspected car thieves lynched

Two car thieves were lynched by a mob at Kiamanyeki village, Mwea.

The two were spotted dismantling the stolen vehicle before daybreak yesterday.

An accomplice escaped as the two were set a balze during the 5am incident on the banks of Thiba River.

Mwea East OCPD Dorothy Gaitenga said the vehicle, a Toyota Fielder, belonged to a Kenya Commercial Bank employee based at Ngurubani town branch.

“This employee resides in Embu town, but works at Ngurubani town. Since the two suspects have been identified as coming from both towns, there is a possibility they had been tracking the banker to his residence from where they stole the vehicle," she said.

Before being lynched, the suspects are said to have confessed to a number of motor vehicle thefts locally, which they said they dismantled and sold to spare parts dealers in Thika and Nairobi.

Spare parts

“Once a vehicle is stolen, dismantled and sold as spare parts, it makes it difficult for us to trace it, hence the many stolen cars which end up never being found,” said Ms Gaitenga.

The two hailed from Embu and Ngurubani towns. Their accomplice, who is on the run, was also said to come from Ngurubani.

Yesterday, Gaiteinga said a hunt for the suspect on the run was underway and asked him to surrender to the nearest police station to escape the wrath of the mob.

Motor vehicle spare part dealership is a lucrative business locally. It is, however, largely unregulated, creating a loophole for criminals.

According to dealers, Toyota is the mostly targeted brand for theft due to high demand for its parts.

Car thieves first disable the vehicle's tracking device to avoid being trailed.