Your days are numbered, police tell men caught on camera
GRAPHIC | NATION. Gone in two minutes. Five in shop raid caught on camera
What you need to know:
Minute by minute account of robbery at jewel shop on Standard Street
10:19 Two casually dressed men approach the entrance of a jewels shop on Standard Street.
A guard manning the door gestures at the owner inside, who in turn triggers an electronic system to unlock the door. This is meant to be a security precaution.
The door opens and the guard ushers in the two men. He walks back and takes position a few metres away.
Inside, they engage the shop attendants in a conversation posing as customers.
Before the men came in, a female shop attendant was seen pacing up and down, talking on a cell phone.
10:20 Two other men arrive at the door and the guard walks towards them.
It later emerged he was telling them they could not enter until the other customers had been cleared. It’s also a safety precaution not to let in many customers at a go.
They engage the guard in an argument and one even tries to push him inside.
A third man arrives in time, and helps push the guard inside just as the door opens.
Their accomplices inside have whipped out pistols, forcing the attendants to raise their arms.
10:21 Inside the shop the attendants and the guard are shoved to a corner with their hands up.
The men jump over the counter and started ransacking the place, taking away items on display.
The man in a white jacket looked like the gang leader and was seen giving instructions to his men.
As the robbery went on, one of the gangsters was left manning the door.
They stuff the loot in their pockets, and some in the black bag with the gang leader.
The gang leaves the premises and the hostages are seen lying on their bellies on the floor.
It emerged the gang leader had earlier ordered them to do so at gunpoint.
The camera on the streets captures the men walking out one by one and disappearing into the crowd on Standard Street.
A five-man gang is on the prowl and is responsible for daylight robberies that have become commonplace in Nairobi’s central business district. But new police commanders deployed to the city centre last week have vowed to clear the robberies in the shortest time possible.
They have released photographs of five young men captured by CCTV cameras during a robbery at a shop on the city’s Standard Street.
They were armed with pistols when they forced their way into the jewellery shop around 10.20am on Tuesday last week.
They held the guard and attendants hostage as they ransacked the shop.
They also harassed the attendants, pointing guns at their faces, forcing them to raise their hands and lie on the floor on heads down.
In just two minutes, they took away gold rings, watches, necklaces and other personal properties, valued at hundreds of thousands of shillings and fled.
The owner of the shop told the police that the robbers had escaped with revenue generated in three years.
Central division police boss Eric Mugambi said after viewing the footage that the men appearing in the footage fit “exact description” given by several shop owners and attendants who have been raided in recent months.
The CCTV clip, shot by nine cameras, shows how the gang operates.
It takes exactly two minutes and 20 seconds to execute the robbery.
Two men approach the shop’s entrance and a guard who had been standing several metres away walks to them and ushers them in.
Two others arrive
They are casually dressed. One is dressed in a white jacket and is carrying a small black bag. The other has a black cap on.
Two others arrive in less than a minute, but the guard declines to let them in.
He’s under instructions not to let in many customers at a go, and he is seen engaging them in an argument.
One of the gangsters pushes the guard, but a third accomplice arrives in time and they all shove the guard in.
One of the accomplices already in the shop had opened the door.
Mr Mugambi said: “Previously, the station received two reports of this kind of robberies every week.
“We’ve responded by placing undercover officers on the street alongside the uniformed ones.”
He added: “The cases are not common now and we’re pursuing the suspects using this technology.
“We believe the same gang is involved.”
The Nation learnt that Mr Mugambi has a team of over 100 officers patrolling the streets at any given time.
They are boosted by another team under CID commander Peter Mabeya and another headed by the head of operations.
