Murang'a residents help police foil armed attack
Police in Murang'a County arrested a suspect and recovered a loaded pistol on December 25, 2024.
Police in Murang'a County on Christmas night arrested a suspected robber in Kenol town and recovered a loaded pistol.
According to Murang'a South Deputy County Commissioner Gitonga Murungi, the vigilance of local residents helped foil a robbery.
Residents alerted some security guards manning a nightclub about the armed man.
"These guards trailed the man as they kept on alerting Kenol Police station boss Mr Albert Kipchumba. The officer mobilised a team that intercepted the suspect and arrested him," Mr Murungi said.
The 23-year-old suspect is in custody and will be taken to court when the judiciary returns from Christmas recess.
"Upon interrogation … it turned out that this suspect is a profiled criminal," Mr Murungi said. "The suspect also had a kitchen knife. The subject firearm is believed to have been stolen from a civilian firearm holder whose loss had been reported at Samuru Police Station in Gatanga."
Police said that when they arrested the man, five other people, suspected to be his accomplices, escaped on two motorcycles.
"It was drama when about seven armed police officers, with their guns at the ready, jumped out of two moving cars...surrounded one young man," said Mr Edwin Kamau, a private security guard at one of the business premises.
"One moment the young man was walking on a pavement and the next he was down on his face with hands pushed to his back, legs spread."
The man was then handcuffed and bundled into one of the cars.
"There is someone in the crowd who shouted that the man was being abducted, but the OCS calmly addressed us, telling us that it was a lawful arrest by police officers," Mr Kamau said.
He added that the officer showed the firearm and kitchen knife to the eyewitnesses present.
Mr Murungi thanked members of the public for their vigilance which led to the arrest.
