By Lauryne Akoth
Dramatic developments unfolded today as DCI sleuths successfully apprehended a group of notorious gang members involved in stealing from motorists and conducting violent robberies.
After an extensive and meticulous investigation, the dedicated detectives managed to trace and capture one Joseph Ndung’u in Nakuru North Kiamunyeki area who was instrumental in the capture of four other members of his gang.
The scrupulous manhunt led by DCI Naivasha detectives materialized following a report filed by a lady by the name of Nelly Cherop Kosgei. Ms Cherop phoned the police at Naivasha police station at 3 a.m. on 14th February after having been ambushed by a five-man gang at her home in Mirera estate.
Ms Kosgei informed the police that the five men, four of whom were wearing jungle uniforms stormed into her house at 9 pm and held her together with her two kids and househelp hostage up until 2 am. She claimed they were armed with crude weapons and threatened to kill her entire family should an alarm be raised.
The five-man gang proceeded to ransack her house for valuables and made away with two TV sets, two laptops, a JBL sound bar, and four mobile phones. The gang also got away with her vehicle, a Nissan Dualis Reg. No. KDC 302V. The robbery case was taken over by DCI Naivasha detectives who exhaustively scoured for the perpetrators within their jurisdiction.
Faced with unsuccessful efforts, they sought assistance from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) team at DCI Headquarters. Reinforced by the Operations Action Team (OAT), the joint team intensified their efforts following intelligence leads and forensic analysis. In a strategic move, they set up an ambush in the Kiamunyeki area, successfully cornering Joseph Ndung’u Waweru on 24th February.
In his possession was a black Nissan Dualis fitted with plates Reg. No. KDE 074Q. On verifying the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicle, it was discovered to have been registered under the name of Nelly Cherop Kosgei, and that the fitted plates belonged to a lorry.
Also recovered from the suspect were six sim cards, a pair of jungle green trousers, pliers, 14 steel tyre nuts, aerosol paint spray, a brown folded carton for carrying extra car registration plates, and foreign currencies of different denominations including South African rand, Mauritius rupees, and Uganda shillings.
After interrogating the suspect, detectives conducted a profiling of Ndung’u, uncovering additional leads that pointed to his accomplices.
In the late hours of February 24, around 2:40 am, the crime researchers, in collaboration with their Nakuru counterparts, executed another operation. This time, they set up an ambush targeting two suspects travelling in a Mitsubishi FH truck headed towards Njoro town. The intercepted vehicle, registered as KCB 383Z, led to the apprehension of Evans Mwangi Njenga, aged 45, and Geoffrey Kamau Hinga, aged 53.
Upon searching the truck, another set of registration plates (KCK 616G) was discovered. Further investigation revealed the plates belonged to a bus.
Both suspects underwent interrogation, during which detectives discovered that they were scheduled to meet with two additional accomplices in Njoro town. Their plan involved changing the registration plates of the truck and escorting it across the Kenya-Uganda border.
Subsequently, a third ambush was orchestrated at a hardware store in Njoro town. This operation led to arrest two more suspects, Peter Mahinyo Wanyoike, aged 45, and Julius Gichagu Wanguno, aged 32, when they arrived looking for Mwangi and Kamau.
The detectives were able to serve justice for Nelly and her family with the capture of the five men however, in a shocking turn of events, investigations led the police to the discovery of a more nefarious gang than they initially thought.
In the developments, it was discovered that the FH lorry they had intercepted had been reported robbed from a victim at Elementaita Police Station in Gilgil when the gang turned against the driver they had hired to offer transport services.
On 23rd February, a 38-year-old driver had fallen victim to a 6-man gang at the Punda Milia section. The assailants robbed and sexually molested the driver before leaving him bound. Thereafter, they disabled the vehicle’s tracker and vanished.
In light of the driver’s report identifying a sixth suspect, investigators are actively pursuing this individual to ensure the complete neutralization of the entire syndicate.