Police in Nyeri gun down 3 criminals, arrest 30 suspects in swoop
Kamakwa Location Chief Peter Kimiti who was killed by gunmen. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The guns that have been recovered are two pistols and a mark 4 rifle that has been identified to have been used in most robberies in recent months.
Police say that most of the suspects were arrested for theft and handling stolen goods.
Others, according to police records, have been on police wanted list for muggings and robberies.
Recently, police shot dead a suspected robber at Witemere area in Majengo slums and recovered a fake pistol and a motorcycle.
Police have gunned down three suspects and arrested 30 others in a security operation to flush out criminals in Nyeri County.
Ordered by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i following the murder of a chief a week ago, the operation has also led to the recovery of two firearms and several fake pistols from suspected gangsters.
Seven out of the 30 suspects have been linked to the murder of Kamakwa Location Chief Peter Kimiti on July 26. The administrator was shot three times in the chest outside his home at around 6pm.
Three of the seven suspects linked to the chief’s murder have already appeared in court and are still in police custody pending further investigations.
RECOVERED TWO PISTOLS
The guns that have been recovered are two pistols and a mark 4 rifle that has been identified to have been used in most robberies in recent months.
Police say that most of the suspects were arrested for theft and handling stolen goods.
Others, according to police records, have been on police wanted list for muggings and robberies. They were found in possession of crude weapons like machetes and daggers.
Recently, police shot dead a suspected robber at Witemere area in Majengo slums and recovered a fake pistol and a motorcycle.
THREE-MAN GANG
According to Nyeri Central Divisional Police boss Muinde Kioko, the slain suspect was part of a three-man gang that had attempted to rob civilians in Nyeri town.
The other two suspects managed to flee.
“The other two are on the run but we will catch up with them soon. We recovered a toy pistol and a motorcycle that the gang has been using to escape after robbing civilians,” Mr Kioko said.
The killing of the suspect came a day after another was gunned down in Majengo near Nyeri town in yet another security swoop. Two suspects were arrested and a firearm recovered. The three are said to have attempted to rob police officers.
