- He said they do not break into houses but carry out highway robberies and target M-Pesa shops.
- His wife thinks he is a policeman as he goes home with a gun and handcuffs.
Image: The Star
Three suspected criminals accused of terrorising and robbing Kisumu residents have been arrested.
Two identified as Simo and Steve were arrested last Friday as they tried to rob an M-Pesa shop near Migosi School in Migosi estate.
Crime has gone up in Migosi since the start of the 7pm-5am curfew.
Earlier, the duo and another suspect had allegedly attempted to grab a man near his house.
“I was with my son when the three men blocked and ordered me out of my car at about 7.30pm. I had gone to buy bread and milk,” he said.
When I got out of my car, he said, the men claiming to be police officers ordered me to get into their car, a white Subaru KBM 963N.
“I declined and told them to first identify themselves as they were in civilian and using a private vehicle,” he narrated.
After a heated exchange, they allowed him to leave. “I drove into my compound and parked my car. When I came back I found them still struggling with two clients who were at the shop. They wanted them to leave the shop to remain with the shop owner,” he said.
A neighbour saw them and came over saying the three were not police officers but criminals, the man said.
He picked a stone and threw it at their vehicle, hitting the rear window. One of them fled.
“We then called police who later arrested Simo and Steve with the help of locals. The third suspect, a pastor escaped,” he said.
A pastor (name withheld) was arrested on Saturday at 7.15am when he went to make purchases at the shop that was being robbed on Friday night.
“He went to the shop three times. The shop owner and I identified him. He then confessed that he was part of the gang,” the man said.
The pastor confessed that he was seated on the back seat of the car and was the one ordering me to get in, he said.
Residents wanted to lynch him but police rescued him. “Irate residents were baying for his blood. They shouted 'courts are not operational. We’re now the courts and judges. We must kill him',” the man said.
Kondele OCS Joseph Njiru arrived at the scene and the officers took the pastor to his house for a search.
He then told the officers the guns they have been using were hidden at an establishment near Ezra Gumbe Primary School. The guns, he said, are hidden in the ceiling.
The pastor said his wife thinks he is a policeman as he goes home with a gun and handcuffs.
The pastor also confessed that they have been using various hired vehicles to carry out robberies. Before the Migosi incident, they had ‘arrested’ a man and only released him after he gave them Sh3,000.
According to the pastor, they had planned to rob three M-Pesa shops between 7pm and 8pm. “We had [robbed] two, at Kona Lego in Manyatta and Mamboleo estate," he said.
The three are being held at Kondele police station. Last week the pastor claimed that they had robbed Sh120,000 from a motorist they had flagged down at Nyamasaria on the Kisumu-Nairobi road.
They then sent Sh40,000 to a police officer based in Maseno. The officer is the one who protects them and secures their release when arrested.
In all our operations, the pastor said, the officer has to receive his share.
His confession was recorded on video. The pastor said some rogue police officers are involved in criminal activities in Kisumu and neighbouring counties.
He said they do not break into houses but carry out highway robberies and target M-Pesa shops.
County police commander Ranson Lolmondoni said the suspect is being interrogated. “We are recording his statement to help us unearth the gang’s criminal activities,” he said.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya