An international car theft took place in Africa with 8 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans being smuggled in containers from South Sudan to Kenya. The vehicles, which feature Sudanese registration plates, are suspected to have been in transit to a neighbouring country or stolen from South Sudan.
The local authorities have been collaborating with the South Sudan government to establish the ownership of the vehicles and the reason they ended up in Kenya. The eight Mercedes-Benz S350 sedans were intercepted by the police as they were being offloaded from containers in a compound within Nairboi’s Majengo slums.
Two South Sudanese and a Kenyan who were initially uncooperative claimed to be owners of the vehicles and said the cars were the property of the South Sudan government brought for service in Kenya.
The sedans were offloaded from the trucks they were shipped by and shipped to the local police station for further investigation. The truck drivers have been detained after transporting the limousines in four 40-foot containers to Kenya. In total, 10 individuals, including South Sudanese nationals and Kenyans were arrested, but mysteriously released and their passports were returned to them without any charges.
Apparently, the cars belong to the Government of South Sudan and those involved claim that they had been brought into Kenya for repair, bu no papers confirm their statement. Some of the individuals involved in the international theft case seem to benefit from diplomatic immunity.
Source: The Star.co.ke.
