Four suspects, including three Ugandans, were arrested, and three firearms found with them in a police operation in Nairobi.
The four were
planning a robbery in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area when police acted on Thursday.
The weapons included
an AK-47 rifle and two pistols.
A team from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters has been pursuing leads on
recent crimes in the city and parts of the western region that led to the arrest.
According to police,
in the
recent past, there has been an upsurge in robbery with violence cases in Nairobi
and Western regions.
The well-organised armed gang have been executing the robberies with impunity using pistols and an AK47 assault rifle.
Their activities have caused panic among the citizens who have lost millions of dollars and other valuables in the hands of the criminals, police said.
Through analysis and
profiling, the gang was identified and properly placed at the scenes of crime.
On May 22, the teams were able to apprehend
three Ugandans and a Kenyan who are the main suspects of the series of
robberies, Nairobi regional police commander George Seda said.
“This is a
breakthrough in the efforts to contain crime in the country at large. We are
looking for more suspects,” he said.
The four were
arrested within Saika, Dandora and Huruma in the city.
Upon interrogation, one of them led the officers to his rented house within Saika, where a Falcon pistol with 11 bullets was recovered hidden under a pillow.
Another led the officers to his rented house within Dandora, where an AK-47 assault rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition of calibre 7.62*39mm special and a defaced serial number was recovered hidden under the sofa set.
The third suspect was arrested in Huruma after he was linked to the rifle as the owner.
Investigations show
the Ugandans arrived in Kenya on May 21 through the Malaba border.
They had allegedly committed a robbery in the Eastleigh area and fled to Uganda, police said.
The fourth suspect was arrested in the Pumwani area and a pistol, a Palleberum Feg seized.
He is a resident of Githurai 45.
It was discovered that the four, together with
others still at large, are involved in many incidents of robbery within Nairobi
and Western regions.
When they were arrested, they were allegedly planning a robbery in Eastleigh, police said.
Sedah said the operation continues with an aim of apprehending the remaining suspects who are still at large.
Meanwhile, a man
surrendered his AK47 rifle with nine bullets in Garbatulla, Isiolo.
The man handed over the weapon to a local chief in Modogashe North sub-location within Komorbulla location.
Officials are analysing the weapon to establish if it had been used to commit any crime in the area.
