Six panga-wielding gangsters who had promised to kill in
Majengo, Mombasa, have been arrested.
A video had surfaced online of the youths in their early 20s issuing threat.
The armed criminals
were captured waving their weapons on camera.
They were intoxicated while some
were hooded and capped and others with their faces completely covered with pieces of cloth.
The video was taken at night in Majengo but the exact date is unknown.
One of the gang members carried a bag believed to have had more weapons.
The recorder of the video took a shot of himself hiding a panga around his waist.
“Lazima mpende hii (you must like this),” the six are heard saying in the 24-second clip.
Mombasa Police Commander Johnston Ipara said police took swift actions to arrest them.
“We gave a warning. Those in the video have all been arrested. They were six in number,” Ipara said on phone Sunday.
Majengo is notorious for criminals who stab their victims and loot.
Their operations have extended to Old Town where they rob tourists and kill those who defy their orders.
Police have tried to flush them out but their efforts but they have continued to emerge. Several have been gunned down as a result.
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On Sunday, Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) said the arrests must lead to court convictions based on evidence.
"Making arrests is not enough," Chairman Khelef Khalifa
said.
“It will be extremely difficult to combat crime without help from members of the community,” he also said and urged police to make use of
intelligence reports.
“For any success to be achieved, the the public should have confidence in them."