Detectives from the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) on Friday, April 5, 2024, arrested and detained Karen Police Station OCS Purity Kobia for the alleged theft and sale of a Mazda Demio vehicle that had been impounded at her station.

This comes after the complainant, Siama Rahma accused the officer of illegal clearing her vehicle for sale without due process.

Following her arrest, Kobia was held at Capitol Hill Police Station.

"The vehicle, a Mazda Demio registration number KCR 526R, had been detained at the station after it was involved in an accident in October 2021 but was released illegally and sold in 2022 through a public auction and without following due process," a statement from Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) read in part. 

According to the charge sheet, Rahma's vehicle which was worth Ksh600,000 was sold off for only Ksh50,000 at an auction on an approval by Mrs Kobia.

Rahma told the authorities that she first noticed that her vehicle was missing from the Karen Police Station impound lot in June 2022 and upon inquiry, she failed to get proper response. She would later spot her vehicle in mid-2023 at around Yaya Centre being driven by a person she claims is a police officer.

"I reported the matter to traffic officers who referred me to Kilimani Police Station to avail my ownership documents," she told the ODPP.

Rahma's attempts to recover the vehicle proved unsuccessful after she was reportedly banned from going back to the police station. After she had failed to repeatedly reach the police commander, the complainant was forced to file a report with Internal Affairs in November 2023 in an attempt to recover her car.

Upon completion of investigations into the matter, IAU forwarded the file to the ODPP for further action.

On February 5, this year, the ODPP wrote to the police commander and her accomplices directing her to compensate Ms Rahma failure to which they would be charged with abuse of office, stealing a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit a felony and false swearing.

"Get back to this office at the lapse of 30 days to confirm the settlement of the matter of the charge of the suspects," the ODPP directed the OCS.

After failing to comply, Mrs Kobia was trailed by sleuths from IAU and arrested on Friday, April 5. She was booked at the Capitol Hill Police Station under OB Number 22/05/04/2024 and released on a Ksh10,000 cash bail after she claimed to be too sick to take a plea.

Mrs Kobia will appear in court alongside the auctioneer of the vehicle on April 17, 2024, for a plea hearing. The vehicle in contention is also detailed at the Capitol Hill Police Station as an exhibit.