A vehicle reportedly stolen from Kenya last year, was on Friday intercepted at Rusizi border post as it was being driven into Rwanda from the neighbouring DR Congo. The luxurious Toyota Harrier, which at the time of interception had Congolese number plates, CGO 5815AB|22, was seized by Police after it came up on the Interpol I-24/7 criminal database system, which indicated that the car in question was actually stolen. Its original Kenyan number plate, according to the logs in the I-24/7 system, is KBX 335U. Rwanda National Police has so far secured all the border posts with the Interpol Communication Tool that connects all the 190 Interpol member countries and allows investigators to access Interpol’s range of criminal databases to search and crosscheck data on suspected criminals or wanted persons, stolen and lost travel documents, stolen motor vehicles, fingerprints, DNA profiles, stolen administrative documents and stolen works of art. According to Police, the suspect, a Congolese national who was driving the stolen vehicle at the time, was headed to Uvira, a town in South-Kivu province, from Bukavu, also in DR Congo, through Rwanda. The suspect claimed he had also bought the vehicle from another Congolese national. “Rwanda cannot, and will never be a transit or a destination of any stolen property or illegal dealings. We have previously intercepted several vehicles stolen from other countries and handed them back,” said the Police Spokesperson Celestin Twahirwa. “We have the tools and the skills to detect stolen vehicles or any other illegal substance that wrongdoers may want to smuggle into or through Rwanda.” Last year alone, Rwanda National Police intercepted five stolen vehicles as they were being smuggled through Rwanda. In February, Rwanda National Police also handed over two vehicles to Kenyan authorities, which were reported stolen from Nairobi with an intention of smuggling them into DR Congo through Rwanda. Rwanda National Police currently enjoys a unique partnership with regional and international Police institutions and organisations, which has played a vital role in the fight against cross-border crimes, including car theft. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
