3 more suspects arrested over murder of Rai boss Chetan Vyas
What you need to know:
- Thirty five year-old Julius Odundo Jowi, 34 year-old Joseph Mureithi and Steve Odhiambo, 25, were apprehended in Njoro, Nakuru County.
- Investigators said they found an axe they suspect was used in the murder at the house of the three suspects.
- On October 5, five people who worked as loading supervisors at Rai Cement were arrested.
Homicide detectives have arrested three more suspects linked to the murder of Rai Cement Managing Director Chetan Vyas.
Thirty five year-old Julius Odundo Jowi, 34 year-old Joseph Mureithi and Steve Odhiambo, 25, were apprehended in Njoro, Nakuru County.
The detectives based in Nakuru said Mr Odundo worked as a carpenter at Rai Cement in Soin Ward at the border of Kericho and Kisumu counties.
They said Mr Mureithi was a former security guard at Comply Company in Nakuru while Mr Odhiambo was an operator at the same organisation.
CRIME SCENE
Mr Vyas was killed on September 22 after assailants broke into his house and ambushed him in the bedroom.
In the incident within the factory precincts at Kipsitet in Sigowet-Soin Constituency, Kericho County, the attackers tied up his hands and legs and strangled him using a rope.
The hooded killers then carted away six gunny bags with unknown contents.
WEAPONS
Earlier, Kericho Deputy Police Commander Paul Nasio said the killers gained access to the house through the roof.
Investigators said they found an axe they suspect was used in the murder at the house of the three suspects.
Other items found in the suspects’ house were clothes police said the suspects wore during the attack, as identified in CCTV footage.
Police said they also found two used mobile phones, an iron and a briefcase that belonged to the victim.
Immediately after the murder, the factory's watchman was arrested as a prime suspect after he was captured on CCTV cameras moving the ladder which his alleged accomplices used to scale the factory’s perimeter wall and get into Mr Vyas' house.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations later said it was looking into a terrorism angle to the killing.
OTHER SUSPECTS
On October 5, five people who worked as loading supervisors at Rai Cement were arrested over Mr Vyas' murder.
They were identified as Azim Salim (38), Osman Noor (24), Mohamed Shahid (38), Yacoob Wali (24) and Yabdin Ismail (29), a former Saudi Arabia and Qatar airlines security guard.
They were remanded for 21 days as the prosecution wrapped up investigations.
At the expiry of the 21 days, Senior Resident Magistrate Geoffrey Kimang’a ordered the unconditional release of Mr Ismail, Mr Mohammed, and Mr Yacoob, after the prosecution failed to produce evidence linking them to the murder.
The other three suspects were then charged with the murder of Mr Vyas. They all denied the charge.
So far, a total of 11 suspects have been arrested over the murder of the 50 year-old. The others are Michael Nicholus Mibei (42), Hilary Cheruiyot Kemboi (42) and Daniel Ruto (52).
FORENSICS
DCI George Kinoti earlier said the suspects were arrested by detectives from the headquarters who acted on "forensics-led intelligence."
"Remains of a destroyed Samsung phone belonging to the victim, and which he was robbed of during the murder, were recovered," Mr Kinoti said in a statement about a month ago.
Police believe the suspects destroyed the phone in an attempt to tamper with evidence.
In a house belonging to one of the suspects, police found an Airtel sim card that belonged to Mr Vyas.
Several other damaged sim Cards linked to other crimes were also also found at Mr Mibei's house, police said.
The DCI urged companies that employ foreign-trained personnel to always seek their clearance, which is done through Interpol.
