- Imbai was last year in January arrested alongside six other men for being a member of a notorious gang
- They robbed a man of Sh900,000 in Buruburu estate.
One of the four men suspected to have been abducted from a restaurant in Kitengela had a pending robbery case at the Kibera law courts.
Records also showed Benjamin Amache Imbai had another criminal case at Mavoko law courts.
Imbai was with Elijah Obuong, 35, Brian Oduor, 36, and Jack Ochieng, 37, when they went missing.
Other reports indicated that three friends close to Ochieng, who is also known as 'Compe', had also disappeared under similar circumstances in 2020. They were linked to a fake gold business.
Their car was abandoned at Parklands in Nairobi before they vanished.
“We suspect, if they are dead, it is linked to their past criminal activities,” said an officer aware of the probe.
Imbai was last year in January arrested alongside six other men for links to a gang that robbed a man of Sh900,000 in Buruburu estate.
The gang trailed their victim from KCB Buruburu branch, broke into his car in the parking lot and made away with the cash.
Detectives at the DCI said the suspects posed as customers and joined the man in window shopping for a car.
CCTV footage captured their movements and police trailed them.
“The gang has been operating in major towns using different motor vehicles, some of which are hired and guided with fake number plates,” the DCI said in a statement then.
Imbai aka Bena, Boaz Otieno Owino aka Baba Fabian, Collins Orupto Ipara aka Collo, Duncan Wahira Gakungu aka Dante, William Kamau Maina aka Michuki, Jacqueline Njoki Mwangi aka Lady Bose and Ian Kibe Kinyua aka Kibe were arrested and later charged in Kibera Law Courts where the case is pending.
Police visited the homes of the four missing men and recorded statements from their neighbours as part of the probe. They sought to know how many cars they have.
The families of the missing men were expected to visit Naivasha mortuary to identify a body that had been collected from a roadside in Mai Mahiu but did not turn up.
There were also reports of an unidentified body at the City Mortuary but officials said no one had claimed it.
Friends and relatives of the missing men noted their phones went off at around 3pm on April 19. They had met at a club in Kitengela where they had lunch before leaving.
Their car was found about 500 meters away from the parking lot of the restaurant.
Oduor’s wife Catherine Atieno said she spoke with her husband a few minutes before his mobile phone went off.
"We spoke at around 1pm and he promised to be back on time for my hospital appointment. By 3pm his phone was off. His friends were also out of reach. I knew something was wrong," she said.
Ochieng's wife Monica Wanjiru also said her husband had financial struggles as a result of his firm collapsing.
She said he sought to regain his financial footing through the meetings with his friends.
"He had been struggling financially but he was a hardworking honest man who gave us the first priority. Before he disappeared, he sent me Sh100 and promised to call later. I noticed his phone was off at 4pm," she said.
Imbai's younger brother, Elvis Imbai said they learned his car was abandoned on Facebook.
"Someone posted on Facebook that a car belonging to my brother's friends had been parked near a club in Kitengela on April 20. When we got there we found three jackets on the back seat," he stated.
Elvis alerted Kitengela police officers who towed the car to the station.
Police said Monday they are yet to get any clue on the men's whereabouts but the search is ongoing.
(edited by o. owino)