Five robbers shoot and injure two men in Tharaka-Nithi

A man holding a pistol. Robbers disguised as policemen shot and injured two people in Tharaka-Nithi County on October 5, 2017. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Hospital administrator Mary Gitonga told journalists that the two were responding well to treatment.
  • Maara sub-County police boss Johnston Kabusia said they launched a manhunt for the robbers.

Robbers disguised as policemen shot and injured two people in Tharaka-Nithi County.

Mr Collins Magwira and Mr Lawrence Miriti were rushed to PCEA Chogoria Hospital, where they are recuperating.

Hospital administrator Mary Gitonga told journalists that the two were responding well to treatment.

The two men told journalists that they rushed towards the shop on Thursday at 7pm when they heard people scream.

MASKED MEN

"I was shot twice — in the thigh and in the ribs — as I rushed towards the scene," said Mr Miriti.

He said the gang used a Toyota Wish that had been parked for almost 30 minutes next to the shop before the robbery. The five masked men got out and walked into the shop, then ordered the owner and customers to lie down.

Mr Magwira, who was shot in the back, said he heard screams and walked towards the shop just as the robbers were fleeing.

The thieves fired into the air and also at a gathering crowd as they entered their vehicle and drove off, he said. Angry residents smashed the car’s windscreen as it sped off.

The robbers, armed with guns and machetes, escaped with an unknown amount of money and other goods from the shop.

FLED

The shop owner, only known to the locals as Mr Mugane, fled through the back door of the shop.

Residents said they thought the robbers were policemen.

"When I heard some noise, I rushed there thinking the men were police officers because they were in uniform. But when I arrived, one of them pointed a gun at me and I turned back running [and] hid in a nearby hotel," Ms Jane Muthoni, a resident, told the Nation.

Maara sub-County police boss Johnston Kabusia said they launched a manhunt for the robbers.

"We are doing our best to ensure that the gang is apprehended," said Mr Kabusia.

The terrified residents said the thieves could have conspired with a local. They asked police to beef up security at the market.