Police in Mombasa have arrested a Rwandese suspected of dealing in stolen mobile phones following a crackdown on the rampant theft of the devices in the region.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said they arrested Ndaziziye Augustin Umurundi at his residence following intelligence reports.

"A thorough search of the premises revealed a cache of ten mobile phones and a power bank, all suspected to have been stolen. From the recovered devices, detectives successfully identified three phones and traced them to their rightful owners,” the DCI said in a statement.

Officers searching his home seized 10 smartphones and a power bank.

His passport is reported to have expired, adding to his list of alleged crimes.

According to security officials, the suspect reportedly refused to cooperate with police regarding the source of the stolen phones.

However, DCI officers from the Coast region's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau have linked three recovered phones to recent reported thefts.

The identified victims include Stephen Omondi, whose Techno Spark KJ5 was stolen from the Tudor Poly area on November 5, 2024; Aberdeen Jafferji, who lost a Techno Spark K15K to thieves at Nyali Bridge on 1 November 2024; and Charles Ogeyo, whose Samsung Galaxy A15 went missing from the Government Chemist area on 4 November 2024.

DCI officers are now working to identify the IMEIs and owners of the other seized phones as investigations continue.

The suspect is expected to face charges including robbery, handling stolen goods and being unlawfully present in the country.

The recovered phones will be kept as evidence.

The arrest highlights ongoing efforts by police to crack down on mobile phone theft in Mombasa.

Such cases of stealing mobile phones have been on the rise in the country.

Most of the gadgets are taken to neighbouring countries where they are refurbished and sold to unsuspecting buyers, investigations show.

Police have also been targeting mobile phone repairs in their probe into stolen gadgets.

Tens of mobile phone users are usually robbed on the roads by thieves who take the gadgets for repairs before they are sold to unsuspecting buyers.