It took just 12 minutes to break in. But by dawn, an entire business had been stripped bare.

New CCTV footage has revealed how a group of thieves carried out a carefully planned overnight raid on an electronics shop in Nairobi’s central business district, making away with goods worth more than KSh16 million.

The target was Mr Bingo Computers, a small but growing shop inside Twiga Towers. By the time the gang left in the early hours of Saturday, shelves had been cleared and the owner left facing heavy losses.

“I have 16 million in debt,” said the proprietor, Moses Mwangi, his voice breaking. “This was my dream; it’s gone.”

A plan that began with conversation

Footage reviewed by investigators shows the operation did not start with force.

At around 9:59pm on Friday, a man believed to be the gang’s leader is seen speaking with security guards outside the building. The exchange appears relaxed, even friendly.

Roughly an hour later, the tone shifts.

The guards are seen being overpowered, with at least one appearing to lose consciousness. Detectives believe the attackers may have used substances to incapacitate them, though this has not been publicly confirmed.

With the guards out of the way, the group moved in.

Swift entry, slow exit

At about 1:00am, the gang forced open the shop’s security doors. The breach took minutes.

What followed was more methodical.

Rather than rushing, the suspects spent nearly two hours inside, removing high-value electronics from their packaging and packing them into sacks. The aim, investigators say, appeared to be efficiency—maximising what they could carry.

They then ferried the goods to a waiting vehicle parked nearby.

By the time they left shortly after 3:00am, much of the store’s most valuable stock was gone.

A heavy toll on a small business

Mr Mwangi said the stolen goods included more than 500 laptops, over 100 mobile phones—many of them high-end models—and a range of accessories.

Much of the inventory, he added, had been acquired on credit.

“I don’t know where to start,” he said. “I owe suppliers, I owe family. Everything was here.”

He had run the business for two years.

A wider concern

The case has drawn attention to security concerns in Nairobi’s commercial centre.

Police based at Central Police Station have launched a manhunt and say they are analysing the CCTV footage to identify the suspects and trace the vehicle used.

Officers familiar with the investigation say such incidents are becoming more organised, with criminals targeting guards as a first step.

Business owners in areas such as Luthuli Avenue have previously raised concerns about break-ins, particularly involving electronics shops.

Security experts say relying solely on physical guards is no longer enough. They recommend layered systems, including alarm monitoring and controlled access, though such measures can be costly for small traders.

For Mr Mwangi, those lessons come too late.

Standing in the empty shop, he is left counting losses and hoping for a breakthrough in the investigation.