Policeman among 131 held in Nyeri security swoop

A police officer is among at least 131 people arrested over the weekend in a security swoop in Nyeri County over the weekend.

The arrests came as part of an operation to stamp out theft in Ruring’u and Ngangarithi estates as well as in Nyeri town.

Nyeri County Police Commander Ali Nuno confirmed the arrests, including that of a police constable who is suspected to have stolen from an office at the Nyeri Central Police Station.

According to police records, the signals office at the divisional police headquarters was broken into and a laptop, computer accessories and correspondence files stolen.

Mr Nuno told the Nation that the items were later recovered in the house of a police constable Macdona Ouma.

“The officer was arrested and he will be arraigned on Monday. We are not leaving anything to chance when it comes to security in Nyeri,” Mr Nuno said.

SHOPKEEPER SHOT

At the same time, 130 suspects were arrested in a swoop in Nyeri town following the shooting of a businessman in Ciaraini.

The shopkeeper was shot after he confronted a three-man gang that was robbing his shop on Thursday night at around 9pm.

“The robbers escaped on a motorcycle and the trader has been admitted in hospital. We did, however, get a few leads that we are pursuing in relation to the case,”Mr Nuno said.

Police said of the arrested suspects may have been involved in burglaries and muggings in Nyeri town estates.

The operation was conducted by a joint county security team.

“The focus for us is to ensure that residents of Nyeri get to enjoy their festivities without fear of insecurity. We have key areas that we have mapped out and have officers on the ground,” Mr Nuno said.

The suspects will remain in custody until Monday when they will be arraigned to face various criminal charges.