AP officer in Mandera court over theft of colleague’s gun
An AK-47 rifle. An AP officer stationed at Lafey camp in Mandera County was on January 22, 2019 charged with theft of a firearm issued to a colleague. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The gun was stolen from a unit hut they shared at Lafey AP Camp in Mandera.
- On January 13, Constable Elvis Karani reported losing one AK-47 rifle serial number 59014147 from his hut.
- When charging Mr Korio, police indicated that they were investigating Mr Karanja’s involvement in the loss of the gun.
An Administration Police (AP) officer was on Tuesday charged with theft of a firearm issued to a colleague.
The gun was stolen from a unit hut they shared at Lafey AP Camp in Mandera.
Constable Patrick Karanja denied the charge when he appeared before Mandera Senior Resident Magistrate Peter Areri and was remanded at the Mandera GK Prison until February 19.
On January 13, Constable Elvis Karani reported losing one AK-47 rifle serial number 59014147 from his hut.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED
Police swung into action and arrested two suspects including Mr Muhamed Hussein Hillow, a police reservist who shared the hut with Mr Karani, and Ahmed Adan Ibrahim, a civilian.
Mr Hillow and Mr Ibrahim were set free on January 18 after spending some days in police cells as Mr Mr Hussein Harriet Korio was produced in court and charged with the theft of the gun.
Just like Mr Korio, Mr Karanja is accused of stealing an AK-47 rifle with two magazines loaded with 60 rounds of ammunition, all valued at Ksh52,400, on January 13, 2019 at Lafey AP Camp.
SNEAKED OUT
A police officer privy to the matter said after sneaking out the rifle, Mr Karanja hid it in a police reservist’s house within Lafey town where it was recovered.
Last week, an officer handling the case told the Nation that they were hunting down an AP officer believed to have had a hand in the loss of the gun.
To avoid a scenario witnessed at Mandera Police Station in November last year when about 14 APs stormed the station and freed one of their own from custody, officers at same station tricked Mr Karanja into escorting the first suspect (Mr Korio) from Lafey with a handful of fellow APs.
“Less than six APs from Lafey escorted the other suspect and on arrival they were peacefully disarmed before we arrested Karanja on Monday,” our source said.
The police reservist has since been turned into a state witness against Mr Karanja and Mr Korio who are charged separately.
When charging Mr Korio, police indicated that they were investigating Mr Karanja’s involvement in the loss of the gun.
