Rongai robbery: Two more suspects arrested, gun, cash clothes seized
Detectives have arrested two more suspects linked to an incident in which a woman was on Sunday morning robbed at gunpoint on arriving home in Kandisi in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County.
This brings to four the number of suspects arrested over the attack.
On Monday night, a man believed to have been sent by the gang to withdraw Sh240,000 that had been transferred from a victim of another robbery in the area over the weekend was arrested in Mwiki, a trading centre in Kasarani, Nairobi.
An M-Pesa shop attendant is also in custody.
In a statement, Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso on Wednesday said the four are assisting detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters bring all the culprits to book.
‘To date, four (4) suspects have been apprehended and are aiding police with further investigations. So far, they are cooperating, and they will be arraigned as per the law,” he said.
He added that detectives have recovered a pistol, some money believed to be proceeds of the robbery and items of clothing worn by the robbers during the robbery.
"The dragnet has been widened to nab more suspects who are still on the run. The Inspector-General of Police has instructed a crackdown within Ongata Rongai targeting organised criminal gangs terrorising and robbing law-abiding locals,” he added.
On Monday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i ordered a mass transfer of officers at Kandisi Police Station after residents complained about deteriorating security in the neighbourhood. Additionally, the CS ordered all bars and liquor shops shut. Forensic detectives and officers from the DCI’s Serious Crimes Unit spent the whole day yesterday combing the house that was robbed on Sunday morning for evidence.
The detectives extracted CCTV footage and recorded statements from witnesses.
The woman’s husband, Mr Geofrey Otieno, had travelled out of Nairobi for work when the robbery happened. It is only his wife, whose name has not been released for security reasons, two children and a house help who were present when the robbery happened.
In total, six men including one whom detectives suspect was a rogue police officer, took part in the robbery. It is further suspected that the said rogue officer was behind the robbery, prompting the Interior ministry to mount a crackdown in the area.
“A new team will be brought to cover the entire Kandisi area and work hand in hand with the local police. All criminal activities must be recorded in the OB and forwarded to my office by Monday evening,” Dr Matiang’i ordered when he visited the area on Monday.
Five such attacks have been recorded in the occurrence book at Kandisi police station in the past three months. The neighbouring estates have also been rocked by insecurity.