SIX SUSPECTS HELD

Three guns stolen as officers watched UEFA match recovered

In Summary

• Police officers failed to explain why they had left the station unguarded.

• The guns will be taken for ballistic examinations to establish if they had been used.

Nandi South police John Owuoth
FOUND INTACT: Nandi South police John Owuoth
Image: Barry Salil

Three police G3 rifles stolen on April 16 after officers went to watch UEFA championships have been recovered.

Nandi South police boss John Owuoth said the guns were recovered in three separate places with all the 60 bullets.

One rifle was retrieved in Kamagut near Soy town. The second firearm was found in Yamumbi, Kapseret subcounty - both in Uasin Gishu. The guns had allegedly been sold.

 

Yamumbi is on the lower side of the crime-prone Langas on the outskirts of Eldoret.

The third rifle was dug out from a vegetable garden, a few metres from Kamoron police station, the place where they had been stolen in Aldai subcounty in April.

The gun had been buried in a shallow hole and wrapped in a polythene bag. Investigators believe the suspects were still looking for a buyer.

Owuoth said they had arrested six suspects in connection with the theft. Those arrested include two people who said they bought the guns.

Three police officers, including the officer in-charge, had travelled to Cheptulu market to watch the UEFA championships match between Manchester United and Barcelona. The three officers are on suspension.

The burglars broke into the armoury, stole the guns, a TV set, a gas cooker and other household items from one of the officers. The thieves had cut the metal box used to store the weapons.

Nandi county criminal investigation commander Julius Mukeku said it had taken them two and a half months to investigate and recover the firearms "intact". He thanked all those who helped them.

 

The guns will be taken for ballistic examinations to establish if they had been used.

The officer in charge had failed to show the investigators the guns movement book, an indication that they were casually being held.

The suspect will appear in a Kapsabet court on Monday.


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