Police gun down four suspected gangsters in Nakuru

A police officer was Thursday morning injured when armed gangsters engaged police in a shootout that saw four suspected carjackers killed at Mwariki in Nakuru.

Divisional police commander Bernard Kioko said the injured officer was treated at Valley Hospital and discharged.

Mr Kioko said a motorist tipped off the police on seeing a saloon car trailing him as he headed home.

"Police on patrol ordered the driver to stop but he did not do so, while the occupants fired at my officers. We pursued them and managed to shoot four of them.

"We believe another two escaped with an unknown type of firearm and (we) urge wananchi to help us wipe out this gang that has been harassing motorists in the past week,” he said.

RECOVERED WEAPONS

Police seized a toy pistol, a metal cutter, a metal bar, a bunch of master keys and a panga from the car.

Mr Kioko said investigations had been launched to help establish the identity of the gang members as well as the owner of the getaway vehicle that was seized.

Saying all information would be treated confidentially, Mr Kioko said security patrols had been intensified across the central business district, the suburbs and along the Nakuru-Nairobi-Eldoret highway as well as on other major roads.

Last week, two Nakuru County government employees were carjacked as they drove into their residence, and their vehicle was used to carjack and rob other motorists.

The county employees were later left unharmed.

The carjackers used the victims' bank ATM cards to withdraw money from their accounts.