Police Kill Five Robbery Suspects

Oliver Musembi

18 June 2011

Nairobi — Police have shot dead five suspected gangsters said to be in a list of most wanted criminals who have been terrorising residents and motorists in Thika, some 40 kilometres from Nairobi.

Divisional police commander Paul Leting said an AK 47 rifle with ten rounds of ammunition, jungle fatigues and a communication gadget similar to the ones used by police was among items recovered from the suspects.

The five were gunned down by administration policemen following a shootout at Kiandutu village around 4.30 a.m. Saturday.

“One of them is a notorious criminal going by the nickname ‘Tyson’ who lived in Kiandutu while his accomplices came from Nguthuru area of Murang’a South,” Mr Leting said.

He described the killing as a major breakthrough in the fight against armed gangsters who have been robbing motorists on the Thika-Murang’a road.

“The thugs have been flagging down motorists posing as policemen and robbing them of cash and other valuables. We have been tracking them down for some time now,” the police boss said.

Also recovered was a Toyota Corolla car said to have been stolen and bearing fake registration numbers, a pair of military boots, three sets of police jackets, a toy pistol and spikes used to deflate car tyres.

Their bodies were removed to the Thika hospital mortuary.

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