At least six suspected robbers were arrested and six police communication gadgets were recovered from them in the Ruaka area, Kiambu County.
Police said they also recovered two toy pistols from the men in the Tuesday morning incident.
Kiambaa Sub County Police Commander Pius Mwanthi said the men had attempted to break into a house at about 11 am when an alarm was raised.
He said the group had gone to an apartment in the area and knocked thinking the occupants were not in.
“Luckily the occupants were in the house and when they realized so, they ran downstairs as an alarm was raised,” he said.
Mwanthi added the group rushed out and jumped onto an oncoming matatu that was headed for Nairobi.
Police on patrol were alerted and circulated the matatu’s details.
He said the matatu was intercepted a few meters away and the men flushed out.
All the suspects are aged between 20 and 27.
The police boss said they also recovered house-breaking equipment from the suspects.
They were all booked in custody pending arraignment.
Police say cases of housebreaking have been on the rise in the area amid efforts to contain the menace
Mwanthi said they are interrogating the suspects to get more information on their activities.
Police planned to raid their houses for a search as part of efforts to unravel their activities.
Police say most such cases happen due to collaboration between the burglars and guards on duty.
The stolen household goods are mostly sold out of the country where it is difficult to track in general.
Apart from the area, most estates including Kitsuru, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Nairobi West and Lang’ata areas have been experiencing a spike in such incidents.
Police say they have arrested some of the suspects and have pending court cases after numerous burglary, housebreaking and stealing incidents mostly in Kilimani, Kileleshwa and Upper Hill areas in Nairobi.
“They operate all over targeting electronics and other valuables,” said police.
