Police are investigating suspected phone hacking after a raid on a shop in Kisumu’s city centre.
Police seized phones, laptops and accessories from a city-centre shop as investigators examine possible links to theft and other criminal activity.
Police have arrested two suspects following an intelligence-led raid on a shop in Kisumu’s Central Business District linked to an alleged phone-hacking syndicate.
The operation, conducted on Friday, targeted premises suspected of being used to hack and alter mobile phones believed to have been stolen. Officers searched the shop and recovered electronic devices and accessories that police suspect may be proceeds of crime.
The National Police Service (NPS) said the two suspects were being held at Kisumu Central Police Station pending arraignment. Their identities were not disclosed in the police statement.
Phones and laptops seized
The items recovered during the search included laptops, mobile phones and phone accessories. Police secured the electronics as exhibits for forensic analysis as part of the investigation into the alleged network.
Although the recovery was described as a large assortment of devices and accessories, the NPS did not give an inventory or indicate how many items officers had seized. It also did not disclose their estimated value.
Police said the purpose of the operation was to disrupt a network allegedly involved in hacking and tampering with suspected stolen phones. The shop was the focus of the intelligence-led search, but the statement did not provide further details about the suspected network’s operations.
Forensic examination to establish origin
Investigators are examining the recovered electronics to establish where they came from and whether they can be connected to reported thefts or other criminal activity.
The forensic examination is therefore central to determining the devices’ possible links to crime. Police described the phones as suspected stolen property; the information released did not establish that every recovered item had been stolen.
The NPS statement also did not set out the specific charges the two suspects could face when they appear in court. It said they remained in custody awaiting arraignment while inquiries into the recovered property continued.
Police appeal for public information
The Kisumu raid comes amid intensified intelligence-led police efforts against criminal networks involved in handling suspected stolen property. In this operation, the inquiry centres on both the suspected alteration of phones and the origin of the electronics seized from the shop.
The NPS urged members of the public to report suspicious activities to their nearest police station or through emergency services. The service also thanked people who continue to cooperate with officers and reiterated its commitment to disrupting criminal networks.
Further forensic work is expected to help investigators determine whether the seized devices are linked to reported offences, as the two suspects await their court appearance.
