A major recovery operation by detectives has led to the discovery of SGR fence gates and other goods suspected to have been stolen from a storage yard in Marurui along the Northern Bypass.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said its Operation Support Unit (OSU) detectives recovered the items during an operation connected to an ongoing investigation into allegations of obtaining goods by false pretences.
Among the items found at the storage yard were Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) fence gates, scaffolding equipment, steel rail bars, PPR pipes, metallic angle bars and block boards. Detectives also recovered industrial lubricants, engine oils, solar batteries, motorcycle batteries, LED lighting equipment and wall-coating products.
The haul further included event decoration equipment and various household utensils, raising questions about how the different items ended up at the premises.
The investigation began after a complaint was made over goods allegedly obtained from a supplier through fraudulent transactions. Detectives followed the trail of some paint products linked to the complaint and eventually traced them to the storage yard.
According to the DCI, the complainant was taken to the premises, where they identified the recovered paint as part of the consignment that had been supplied during the disputed transaction.
The discovery has since widened the investigation as detectives seek to establish whether the other goods found at the premises were obtained through similar means.
The case is linked to a businessman who has already been charged with obtaining goods by false pretences. On Thursday, August 6, the Makadara Law Courts ordered the suspect to remain in custody after prosecutors presented reasons for opposing his release on bail.
Following the recovery, detectives secured the storage yard to preserve the scene and allow crime scene investigators to document the items and collect relevant evidence.
Investigators are now working to establish the ownership of the premises and trace the owners of the recovered property. They are also seeking to identify other people who may have lost goods and determine whether more stolen property is being kept at other locations.
The DCI said the investigations remain ongoing as detectives piece together the source of the recovered items and establish the full extent of the alleged fraudulent transactions.
Authorities are expected to use the information gathered from the storage yard, the recovered goods and the people connected to the premises to determine whether more individuals could be linked to the case.
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