POLICE have launched manhunt for the owner of a container full of Somali passports nabbed in Changamwe yesterday. The container arrived in Mombasa on November 14 from the United Arab Emirates and was destined for Nairobi.
Port CID boss Kiberenge Seroney said police and Kenya Revenue Authority officers suspected the container which was taken to the Consol Base CFS in Changamwe. "We realised that what was declared is not what is in the container. According to papers at the port, this container was supposed to be carrying office stationery and such other items," said Seroney.
KRA and CID officers broke into the container and discovered thousands of processed and unprocessed passports bearing the official Somali republic emblem. The officers also discovered passport printing machines and some finger print machines.
According to law, those kinds of machines can only be owned by a government but not individuals. Some communication devices were also discovered in the container. Other electronic gadgets including internet routers and communication devices were also found. Police have not ruled out the possibility the equipment may have been heading into the hands of one of the al Shabaab elements in the country.
Coast police boss Aggrey Adoli said they are working in collaboration with line ministries such as the Immigration and other government departments to establish the identity of the owner of the container. "We have to liaise with other relevant authorities because this is a complex issue touching on various government departments and ministries," said Adoli. He said the owner of the container is yet to be identified although he said they are scrutinising documents for the same.
Source: AllAfrica
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