Shock as two male bodies fished out of Tana river in Embu

Two young men have been found brutally murdered and their bodies dumped in Tana river in Embu county.

According to police, the victims who are aged between 25 and 30 years appeared to have been strangled to death, stashed into gunny bags and thrown into the river.

On Monday, residents fetching water spotted two bags floating near Tana bridge and reported the matter to Makutano police station.

The officers rushed to the scene and retrieved the bodies and took them to Embu referral hospital mortuary for postmortem examination.

It is suspected that the victims were executed elsewhere by unknown criminals and bodies dumped in the river to cover up the evidence.

Mbeere South Sub-county police boss Gregory Mutiso said the half-naked victims who are yet to be identified had marks of strangulation on their necks, a clear pointer that they were brutally killed.

"The victims had been separately put into the bags which were well sewed. We are treating the matter as murder," said Mr Mutiso, adding that the killers behaved like beasts and would face murder charges if exposed.

He said the victims were strangers and police were trying to identify them.

“None of the residents seem to have any idea who they are. We are asking anyone who has lost relatives to report to the police so that they could be shown the bodies for identification," he said.

Mr Mutiso said investigations have been commenced with a view of establishing the motive behind the gruesome murder of the duo.

He asked the residents to cooperate with the police and volunteer information which could assist in unearthing the identity of the killers.