Police officers linked with criminals in Nyeri transferred

Three police officers in Nyeri County have been transferred while others are being investigated for allegedly colluding with criminals.

This comes at a time when cases of carjacking are being reported almost on a daily basis as residents fall victim to criminals thriving under police protection.

On Tuesday, the Nation learnt that one of the transferred officers served as a deputy officer commanding police station.

In a past interview, Nyeri County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia admitted to a possible police involvement in robberies, saying a recommendation had been made to transfer officers who had served in the same station for more than three years.

COMPLACENCY

Even as police boast of arresting and prosecuting over 70 theft suspects since January, one gang of armed robbers has been giving locals and authorities nightmares.

In the past two months, reports of the gang’s activities have intensified in major towns in Nyeri County sparking fear among residents who blame police for complacency.

In the last three days, for instance, at least three cases have been reported although police say they have received only one official report.

The case filed in  Kieni East Police Station is said to have occurred on Sunday night at Chaka centre where a man and his wife were carjacked and robbed of Sh265,000.

The couple was headed home when they were  ambushed by two men, one armed with a gun. Police reports indicate that the robbers then drove the couple around before dumping them in Kangemi in Nyeri town. The two were held hostage for several hours as the gang withdrew all the money from all their bank accounts.

BADGES

The Sunday incident is synonymous with almost every other carjacking reported in the county over the last four months. Police investigations are pointing in the direction of a four-man gang that robs people on transit.

Nyeri Central OCPD Muinde Kioko said in some cases where the gang has been involved, the victims were abducted from one part of the county and later dumped in another.

A review of some of the recent cases depict a brutal gang of thieves with no fear. They are known to strike at will, even in broad daylight. At least two victims of the gang, according to police reports from separate police stations, were robbed during the day. The robbers are said to have posed as police detectives and even had badges.

At night, the robbers mount roadblocks and man them like police as they prey on unsuspecting motorists.  Taxi operators claim that on several occasions when the robbers have been spotted manning roadblocks and a report made to police, no action was taken.

LOANS

The gang’s mode of operation mainly involves abducting victims and holding them hostage for hours as they rob them clean. However the robbers do not steal cars or personal belongings and are only interested in one thing only: money. And they want it all. The victims say the robbers force them to surrender all their bank cards and  their PINs. They also force victims to reveal their mobile banking details.

Not only do the robbers drain their account, they force victims to borrow instant loans. Usually the robbers do not escape using the victims’ vehicles but dump them in a different part of the county.

“These criminals are quite unique. They prefer escaping using their own means,” an officer privy to the investigations into the gang told the Nation on condition of anonymity.

Aside from enjoying protection by some rogue officers, the Nation has learnt that the robbers have even threatened senior officers investigating their activities, warning them to keep off. The rogue officers are said to tip off the robbers on operations to nab them. In return, the officers get a share of the money stolen.

DIVISIONS

Besides police protection, the robbers have succeeded in their criminal mission thanks to divisions between police departments. The Kenya Police, Administration Police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are reported to be split over the robberies.

Some police sources claim the DCI can either delay to give tracking support or fail to do so completely. The Administration Police on the other hand have been accused of failing to respond to robbery incidents and sometimes not forwarding to police stations cases reported them

Areas where the carjacking have been most rampant are Mathira West, Karatina, Kamakwa near Nyeri town, and Chaka.