Crime

18 July 2022

Detectives based at DCI Tharaka South are holding two police officers, suspected to have been involved in a robbery incident late last week.

The two, sergeant John Lekidayo and constable Kelvin Kinyua, both based at Nkubu police station were arrested after preliminary investigations linked them to an incident where a lorry that was ferrying hardware goods worth Sh0.6 million from Isiolo to Tharaka Nithi, was blocked at Ura gate area by four people who introduced themselves as police officers and claimed that the lorry was ferrying counterfeit products.

The lorry driver Morris Nyaga and his two loaders David Kuyo and Bonface Orito were handcuffed by the officers one of whom was armed with an AK-47 rifle and bundled into the white Toyota fielder that had been used to block the lorry, leaving it in the hands of two strangers who had arrived with the two officers turned suspects.

The vehicle then took off towards Kacibine market in Imenti central, where the three were later dumped. After reporting the incident at Kiagu police post, investigations began immediately and it was established that the vehicle involved in the incident, belonged to sergeant Lekidayo.

Further investigations revealed that Lekidayo was in charge of the armoury on the day of the incident and had issued an AK-47 rifle to his accomplice Kinyua.

The two then proceeded for unspecified duties that were not booked at the station raising more suspicion on their whereabouts, during the time when the incident is reported to have occurred.

Detectives based at the forensic crime scene investigations unit and their cybercrime counterparts have since been invited to conduct forensic analysis and net the remaining suspects.

Meanwhile, the lorry which had ferried the goods was found abandoned while empty, indicating that the goods may have been offloaded to another vehicle.