• Hotels in Naivasha fully booked, bars crowded, many revellers oblivious to danger lurking as they cosy up to pretty girls.
• Over 200,000 expected in the town for the Safari Rally.
Image: PIXABAY
Police in Naivasha have warned revellers arriving for the World Rally Championship to be on the lookout following a rise in the spiking of drinks.
Though security has been intensified, police can't be everywhere. They said a number of people had already fallen prey to women who were drugging and later robbing their victims.
From Monday, four cases of drink-spiking were reported. One victim lost Sh500,000.
In all those cases, the victims were drugged and suspects withdrew cash from their banks using mobile phones.
This came as the security team banned parking and the hawking of alcohol along roads with 700 officers from the General Service Unit dispatched to the town.
According to a source privy to the investigations, the victims were drugged and the women used their phones to withdraw cash from the banks.
The source said that they expected the cases to increase over the weekend when the town will host more than 10 music events in various venues.
“All the victims are working with WRC and one of the victims was a police officer attached to the event and this is just the beginning,”an officer said.
Naivasha deputy commissioner Mutua Kisulu said that security had been intensified in the town and around various hotels where the musical events had been organized.
“We have heard cases of spiking of drinks and this comes down to individual responsibility as police cannot be manning who you are drinking with,” he said.
“Any car found parked by the roadside will be towed to the police station at the expense of WRC and will be released on Monday,” he said.
Mutua added that they were working closely with event organizers around the town to make sure that there was ample security and free-flow of traffic.
“We have received over 700 officers from the special unit in Nairobi and even bomb experts to help in addressing the issue of security during the weekend,” he said.
He added that unlike last year when several roads were closed to allow the rally cars to pass, this year’s event would be different with organizers keen on free flow of traffic.
(Edited by V. Graham)