Police in Mombasa are holding four men said to be car thieves who were arrested on Friday.
County Police Commander Johnston Ipara said the four said to have relocated to Mombasa from Nairobi are among a group of people breaking into people's cars and stealing valuables including laptops.
Mst of the suspected thug's operations are conducted in car parking lots in banks and supermarkets, Ipara said.
They were arrested as they tried to break into a car parked along the busy Nkurumah Road.
"We have established that the four have not been residents of Mombasa," Ipara said.
"They are from Nairobi and we are conducting more investigations to know more about them. They are cooperative."
Ipara said police kicked a search for the thieves following a rise in car break in cases in Mombasa.
The suspected thieves, he said target valuables including phone, laptops and other electronic devices that people leave in their cars while parked.
He said police is also pursuing leads to know where the four lived in Mombasa.
"We want to know where they lived because we suspect there are stolen items in their house. We have very many cases of car break-ins," he added.
He said police officers are determined to end criminality in Mombasa.