• The official said even the bones are not human ones, dashing hopes of establishing the whereabouts of the three, if any.
• DNA analysis of the items recovered at Aberdare park and at various scenes is however yet to be conducted.
Image: The Star
Clothes collected from the Aberdare Forest and thought to belong to two missing Indians and their Kenyan driver are not theirs.
Officials aware of the developments said even the pieces of bones and belts they recovered from the forest on October 18 and 19 do not belong to Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai, and their taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania.
This is after the families of the missing three were called for an identification parade of the clothes and belts.
“The families of the Indians and the driver have seen the clothes and belts and say none of them belong to the missing men. We are back to square one,” an official aware of the progress said.
The official said even the bones are not human ones, dashing hopes of establishing the whereabouts of the three, if any.
DNA analysis of the items recovered at Aberdare park and at various scenes is however yet to be conducted and a report made before the investigating file can be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for further directions.
Police say preliminary findings indicate that the three were trailed from Westlands, Nairobi, to their residence at Ole Sereni Hotel along Mombasa Road by officers from the Special Services Unit (SSU).
They were allegedly abducted, killed and dumped in Aberdare National Park.
The two Indians are said to have been part of a team that had come to Kenya to join an IT team for President William Ruto to run the election campaigns.
An affidavit filed in court by the Internal Affairs Unit of the National Police Service showed several officers from the disbanded unit had been trailing the two Indians from Westlands to Ole Sereni Hotel.
It added that officers had laid ambush near Ole Sereni Hotel on the evening of July 22, before the two Indians had arrived at their residence.
Five more officers were produced in court on Friday but did not take a plea and the matter was pushed to October 31.
The five officers are Joseph Mwenda Mbaya, David Chepcheng Kipsoi, Stephen Luseno Mutunda, Paul Njogu Murithi and Simon Muhuga Gikonyo.
The investigating team claims that several police vehicles, mainly Subaru Forester, were used in the abductions.
According to police, Mbaya was the one commanding the Subaru Forester vehicles that trailed the three missing persons.
Mbaya, in the company of Murithi, allegedly participated in transporting the missing men to Aberdare where they are believed to have been killed and dumped.
Further investigations revealed that on July 22, police officers Kipsoi and Matunda were in the Ole Sereni area at 7pm.
“While aboard SSU motor vehicle GKB, the two officers were part of a team that trailed the missing men to Westlands at 2200 hours and worked under Chief Inspector Peter Muthee Gachiku, Sergeant Francis Muendo Ndonye and Corporal Joseph Kamau Mbugua. These three have also been arrested and presented in court over similar allegations,” the affidavit said.
Investigations further reveal that on July 23, Murithi was in a car suspected to have left with the three missing persons to Aberdare National Park and was part of the disposal team, suggesting the three could have been eliminated altogether.
Gikonyo was the driver of one of the vehicles used in the abduction, which was placed at Ole Sereni area between 6pm and 8.27pm.
Police say that during the abduction, Gikonyo switched off his mobile phone to avoid being located.
According to the affidavit, investigations indicate that the officers worked in cahoots with serving police officers and people in other security agencies.
IAU, which is currently conducting the investigations, has faced interference and threats from public servants and police officers.
Police want the five officers detained for 30 more days on grounds that the investigations involve other state agencies and the government of India.
The nine will appear in Kahawa law courts.
Two other civilians are in custody over the issue.
Police investigating the case arrested and produced Edward Kamau and Fabian Mjomba Koshn in court.
They were granted 21 days to detain them as they investigate the matter.