Four in the dock over robberies by jet-set gang

uFour suspects said to be members of a gang that has been robbing wananchi in Mombasa were paraded in public on Monday.

The public parade came two days after police Flying Squad officers pulled the four out of a plane at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and seized money allegedly stolen in Mombasa.

According to the police, a total of Sh18 million was stolen.

The four, who included an Administration Police officer identified as Raphael Kemboi, were taken to a Mombasa court in the afternoon.

The court gave the police four days to complete their investigations.

The others were Mr Charles Mulwa Nzomo, Mr Patrick Shiundu and Mr Joseph Ndicu Mbugua. They were all locked up at Central Police Station.

Resident magistrate Vicky Kachuodho declined to grant police investigators the seven days they had asked to complete their investigations.

POSING AS BUSINESSMEN

The four, according to an affidavit filed by Corporal Moses Murithi of Mombasa CID headquarters, committed a series of robberies in Mombasa.

“I need more time to enable me to interrogate the respondents, record their statements and recover exhibits if any,” Mr Murithi told the court.

Mombasa County police bosses said three of the suspects claimed to be businessmen.

The Administration Police officer is attached to Tinderet Sub–County.

The four, who were unrepresented, told the court that the seven days police sought were “too many”.

The magistrate directed that some of the suspects who had complained that they had sustained injuries be taken to hospital.

The case will be mentioned on Friday.

The four were identified by victims of robberies in Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties during a parade at the Central Police Station in Mombasa.

DISPLAYED CURRENCIES

Mr Geoffrey Mayek, the officer commanding the Mombasa Police Division, and his officers displayed Sh472,840, $23 and other currencies from Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda and Botswana together with 17 mobile phones allegedly seized from the suspects.

He claimed the four robbed people while masquerading as police officers. According to him, 12 of the cases were reported in Mombasa Island.

Other robberies were reported in Nyali, Mombasa, and Ukunda in Kwale at the weekend.

“It appears there are many people involved. We are going to do greater analysis to see if there are bank officials involved,” he said.

On Saturday, gangsters blocked two employees of Jitegemee Sacco and robbed them of more than Sh2 million, a mobile phone and a pistol.

They stole the money and disappeared.

WERE BEATEN

Victims who spoke to the Nation said the gangsters tortured them.

Mr Stephen Seru, a Jitegemee Sacco employee, said that he and his colleague were blocked by gangsters in a white car on Saturday morning.

“They blocked our vehicle after we left a bank along Nyerere Avenue. Three men came towards our car, saying they were police officers and asked us what we were doing with Somalis,” he told the Nation at the Central Police Station.

“They drew a pistol and ordered us out of our car. We were under instructions not to run or we would be shot dead. One of them tried to drive away with our vehicle but failed. We got into their car and we were told to lie facing down.”

He said they were beaten as the car was driven to Timboni in Nyali, where they were abandoned after the gangsters took the Sh2 million.

“They ordered us to run and not look back after taking the money, watches and three of our phones.”

Mr Omar Mwarindano, who lives in Ukunda, said he lost Sh121,700 last Friday to the same gang.

He had withdrawn the money from KCB's Ukunda branch.

“I took a matatu from Ukunda to Ramisi and after alighting, I boarded a boda boda, but after a kilometre, a vehicle overtook us and stopped us.

“Three men came out and asked why I was on a boda boda without a helmet and arrested me. I was forced into their car and handcuffed. We drove for a while and I was abandoned at the Kinondo Forest,” he said.

By the time he was abandoned, the gangsters had relieved him of the money.