Police arrested a suspected ring leader of a 10-man Nyamira gang that last week staged a brazen siege of a homestead in Kierira village, Keroka, for over seven hours, violently robbing, gang-raping and defiling several people.
The suspect was tracked down in Kondele, Kisumu County, after investigating officers, backed by crime research detectives and other support teams, placed him at the scene of the crime.
Nyamira Director of Criminal Investigations Paul Makonge said on Thursday that the suspect was taken to Nyamira County headquarters where an identification parade was conducted.
"The victims positively identified him before detectives applied for his arrest for questioning. Further investigations are ongoing to bring the entire gang to book," Mr Makonge said.
On October 23, 2023, the gang struck at Kierira village where over 13 victims were robbed inside the homestead. Several mobile phones, over Sh130,000 in cash and hundreds of thousands more withdrawn from ATMs were stolen.
In the report booked at Keroka Police Station in Masaba North, Nyamira County, a female nominated MCA, a principal of a local high school, a member of the County Executive Committee of Nyamira County Government, a Kenya Prisons officer and a nurse at Nyamira County Hospital fell victim.
Other victims included an 80-year-old woman, a college student and a high school student.
After overpowering the victims with beatings and death threats, members of the gang, armed with a pistol, machetes and other crude weapons, forced themselves on three of the women in turn before escaping with their loot after seven hours of causing untold terror and trauma to the hostages.
"Upon receipt of the information, all security agencies in the county were mobilised and investigations commenced on October 24," the DCI boss said.
The victims were examined at various hospitals in the county and samples were taken from the sexually abused victims.
