Three suspects believed to be behind a wave of violent robberies, rape, and defilement in Kisii and Nyamira counties have been arrested following a joint operation.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 27, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspects are linked to three incidents in Ramasha and Magena areas.
"The reign of terror by a dreaded gang of three linked to violent robberies, rape, and defilement across Nyamira and Kisii has come to an end. After a painstaking probe, detectives from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) linked the criminals to at least three separate heists: two in Ramasha and one in Magena," the statement read.
According to the DCI, one of the incidents involved an elderly sickly victim who was ambushed in her home and robbed.
"In one incident, the gang struck at the home of a 96-year-old grandmother in the dead of night. The devout Catholic, perhaps hoping to save their soul, offered a prayer for her uninvited visitors. The gang respectfully bowed their heads, but the holiness stopped there.
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"Minutes later, the gang guzzled down all the milk she had kept in a flask for her medication, ate every edible crumb in sight, and made away with all the electronics in the house," the statement added.
The DCI noted that the breakthrough came after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering, leading to the arrests of William Obiero Gekonge, James Mogaka Otego, and Justus Ondieki Nyabuto.
"Following this, CRIB detectives working hand-in-hand with officers from Kenyanya and Nyamira, mounted an operation that smoked the trio William Obiero Gekonge, James Mogaka Otego, and Justus Ondieki Nyabuto out of their hideouts in Kisii," the statement further read.
During the raid, officers recovered a motorcycle and stolen electronics linked to the gang.
"Recovered in the swoop were stolen electronics and a motorcycle the gang had been using in their criminal escapades," the statement concluded.
The suspects remain in custody as detectives finalize investigations ahead of their arraignment in court.
This comes a day after detectives arrested two men in Mombasa for allegedly running an unlicensed overseas job recruitment agency.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 26, DCI said operation was conducted by officers from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) and Mombasa Central Police Station.
"Detectives from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU), together with officers from Mombasa Central Police Station, have arrested two suspects operating an overseas job recruitment agency without a valid licence," the statement read.
According to the DCI, the operation was carried out in the Makadara area, where the agency was found operating from a residential building.
"Acting on actionable intelligence, the team raided a premises in Makadara area, where Al-Wajib Investments Ltd was found running its business from a residential building. Two directors of the agency, Bilal Dundo Nyanje and Ali Abu Bakari, were promptly apprehended," the statement added.
During the raid, DCI noted that detectives recovered documents and materials linked to the operations.
"A swift search of the office yielded an expired National Employment Authority (NEA) registration certificate, two registers, a receipt book, and the agency’s official stamp, all of which were seized as exhibits," the statement further read.
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