A police officer’s missing pistol that sparked fears it could be used in criminal activities has been recovered after detectives found it hidden inside a supermarket luggage holding area in Nairobi.

The loaded Ceska pistol, stolen from a VIP protection officer while he was receiving a massage at a city spa, was discovered abandoned inside a Carrefour-branded carrier bag during an intelligence-led operation by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The firearm was recovered on Tuesday morning at Development House along Moi Avenue, bringing to an end a week-long search that began after the weapon went missing in May.

Investigators said the pistol had been carefully concealed. The person who abandoned it wrapped the weapon in two additional red and blue carrier bags before hiding it among fruit in the supermarket's luggage holding section.

Police confirmed the firearm was recovered intact inside its holster. The magazine still contained 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition, although two rounds were missing from the 15 initially reported.

Detectives have now launched a manhunt for the suspect behind the theft and abandonment of the weapon.

The officer, a sergeant attached to the elite Security of Government Buildings (SGB) VIP unit and assigned to a former Member of Parliament, reported that the pistol disappeared after a visit to a barber shop and spa along Moktar Daddah Street.

According to investigators, the officer visited the establishment at about 4 pm on May 21 and requested a complimentary massage. Before the session began, he removed his Ceska pistol and placed it under a cushion.

The officer later reportedly felt dizzy and decided to rest at the spa. When he woke up at around 11 pm, he discovered the firearm was missing.

He told investigators that he searched for the weapon without success before formally reporting the loss on May 25.

Police officers visited the scene and questioned staff at the facility as investigations intensified. The disappearance of the firearm raised alarm among security agencies amid fears it could be used to commit crimes.

As part of the probe, detectives reviewed security camera footage from both the spa and the supermarket where the weapon was eventually recovered.

Investigators said some of the footage captured a suspect wearing a cap, apparently to conceal his identity, as he approached the supermarket's luggage holding area.

The motive behind the theft remains unclear as detectives continue their investigations and pursue the suspect.