Police accused of ignoring distress call during gang rape

A rape victim. Five college students who were gang raped in their hostel in Embu County have been treated and discharged from hospital. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Students said they made distress calls but police did not respond.
  • Their hostels are located near AP lines.
  • County Commissioner Esther Maina accused police of laxity.

Police in Embu were on the spot after five college students were raped and their valuables stolen just next to the local Administration Police lines Thursday night, with an administrator condemning police inaction.

Embu County Commissioner Esther Maina accused police of laxity after it emerged that the Embu College students made a distress call that was dismissed by the police.

‘LAXITY’

Officers were accused of saying they did not have transport.

Ms Maina urged the police to have regular patrols, especially in areas where students reside, to ensure they were crime free.

She said that they had resolved to increase police presence in residential areas.

“The police, the AP are asleep and I want to tell their commanders to wake up and work. If they are not interested in working, they should pack and go.

“We cannot be having cases of rape within residential areas and the police only act after it is already done,” she said.

ORDEAL

Meanwhile, the five students aged between 19-23 years have been discharged from hospital.

They recounted how the rapists terrorised them for more than an hour, raped them, and then ransacked their suitcases for valuables.

“They ordered us to hand over mobile phones and money. One of us said she didn’t have a phone and was hit. At one point, they threatened to set on fire one of the rooms and even doused it with paraffin,” said one student.

ATTACK

After raping the five students, the attackers moved on to another room and ordered the occupants to let them in.

But they refused and the attackers broke a window and doused their curtain with paraffin. They set it on fire and threatened to burn the whole room.

The students screamed as they put out the fire, and the rapists fled.

Students in other rooms said they made frantic calls to the AP line, which is just about 100 metres away, but they were told that the officers did not have transport.

They then called the prison warden who rescued them about three hours later.