Police officers on Monday, October 6, rescued a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer who had been tied up, blindfolded, and locked in the boot of a vehicle by a gang of suspected armed robbers.
According to a statement by the National Police Service (NPS), the rescue unfolded in the early hours of the morning in Kinoo, Kiambu County, following a swift response by officers on patrol who had received a report about a suspicious vehicle in the area.
Upon approaching the suspicious vehicle, its occupants attempted to flee the scene, prompting officers to give chase. Two suspects were successfully arrested following the pursuit.
During a search of the vehicle, police discovered a man who had been bound and blindfolded was found trapped in the boot. The victim was later identified as a KWS officer who had been travelling to Nairobi.
The rescued officer reported to police that the suspects had robbed him of money from his mobile wallet. He further revealed that the gang had been targeting and robbing passengers along the route, suggesting a pattern of criminal activity in the area.
Read More
Police recovered several stolen mobile phones from the arrested suspects, providing evidence of multiple robberies.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with police conducting further operations to track down and apprehend additional suspects who managed to flee the scene during the chase.
The seriousness with which the judicial system treats such offenses was recently demonstrated when a court in Ngong sentenced three men to life imprisonment for violent robbery.
In late September, Brian Kutitila Wanyama, Japhnae Wanyonyi Mukalama, and Thomas Wakoli Malava were convicted of robbery with violence after prosecutors presented compelling evidence against them.
The trio had violently robbed a victim in Kibiku, Kajiado West, on December 18, 2021, stealing a mobile phone, memory card, shoes, and transferring money from the victim's mobile account before assaulting him.
In that case, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) successfully proved all elements of robbery with violence beyond reasonable doubt, resulting in life sentences for all three convicts.
One of the accused, Thomas Wakoli Malava, received an additional life sentence for a separate violent robbery committed in September 2021, where he and accomplices stole property worth Ksh 227,000 from a victim in Oloolua, Kajiado North.
