A man is recuperating at a hospital after he was mercilessly beaten during an alleged botched robbery incident in Athi River, Machakos county.
The unidentified man is alleged to have been found in possession of a battery he had allegedly stolen from a plot at Embakasi estate in Athi River, Machakos county, early Thursday.
Athi River chief Cecilia Musyoki said the incident happened at about 4 am.
Musyoki said the suspect was rescued from the agitated mob by police officers from Athi River Police Station who were on foot patrols in the area.
The public had threatened to lynch the suspect during the incident.
"The man was allegedly caught while stealing a car battery at a residential house in Embakasi estate, Athi River, early Thursday. He sustained injuries after he was exposed to mob injustice," Musyoki said.
Musyoki said some of the residents in the said residential house raised alarm after they allegedly saw the man stealing the battery, attracting neighbours who responded and beat him.
It's claimed that the man refused to surrender the battery even after being placed under public arrest.
That angered the public, who threatened to lynch him before police arrived at the scene.
Police confirmed the incident, stating that the suspect had been taken to hospital where he is undergoing treatment under their watch.
The incident happened barely three days after a woman was attacked by thugs and murdered in the neighbouring Site estate, approximately two kilometres from where the man was subjected to mob injustice.
The woman, now deceased, was aboard a motorbike whose rider, a boda boda operator, sustained serious injuries during the incident.
She died on the spot while the bodaboda rider was rushed to Kitengela Level 4 hospital in Kajiado county before he was referred to the Machakos Level 5 hospital, where he is receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Police officers in Athi River have since launched a probe into both incidents with intensified patrols both day and night.
Some 37 people were arrested on Monday night during a police swoop within Athi River Township, alongside the area where the woman was murdered.
They have been arraigned in court and charged with various offences. Residents have lauded police for the intensified patrols, urging them to press on and rid of criminals in the region.
