By Betty Luke
Do you know buying an electronic gadget from sellers with no fixed address, trading license and permits could land you in jail?
Ever thought of what would happen if you are caught with a phone belonging to a person who was killed a while ago and which you bought from one of hawkers in town who you do not even know?
Imagine spending most of your time in court answering to murder charges, the embarrassment and later serving a jail term for a crime you did not commit.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has warned Kenyans against purchasing electronic gadgets whose dealers do not issue them with receipts as that could land them in court for various crimes.
The DCI noted many Kenyans had fallen victims after buying items such as laptops, phones and TV sets from armed gangsters and later facing murder charges.
“Insist on the issuance of receipt outlining the items bought. It is risky to buy electronic devices from suspicious outlets,” DCI shared on Facebook.
When detectives establish that the nabbed item (s) belong to someone who was maimed or murdered, the person in possession of the device automatically becomes the key suspect.
While asking Kenyans who could be having any gadget of suspicious source to report to the nearest police station, the DCI notes that one found in possession of reportedly stolen items could be jailed for life.
Electronic gadget dealers have been asked to mark and take records of items sold for security and safety purposes so that they do not fall victims.
“Failure to mark and record the items sold makes it easier for investigative agencies to track and identify,”
