By Grace Gilo
Two men attempted to rob a petrol station in Kajiado of over Sh 1.2 million worth of diesel, but their plan failed when a vigilant pump attendant noticed something was off.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), an Isuzu NPR tanker pulled over at Sajjy Petrol Station located in Kajiado’s Oloililai Sub-County within Bisil township.
The two men, who were pretending to be wealthy, requested to draw 6,000 litres of diesel.
Pretending to be in constant communication with the owner of the petrol station, the two allegedly claimed to have paid Sh 1.2 million directly to the owner’s bank account.
Without disputing the proof of payment provided, the attendant went ahead to initiate the process but excused himself briefly after pumping about 100 litres.
He made a call to his boss, who confirmed his doubts that no payment had been made and that there was no arrangement in place.
“Maintaining his calm, the attendant beckoned his colleagues with a signature alert, who pounced on the two and alerted the police,” stated the DCI.
They quickly apprehended the two men and notified the police. When the officers arrived, they found the suspects restrained and encouraged them to identify themselves.
They identified themselves as Boniface Karanja, 32 and his 54-year-old accomplice, Daniel Kimani.
The police re-arrested them, and their vehicle, registration number KCC 312G, was impounded.
Further questioning revealed that the two had traveled from Nairobi and were part of a bigger syndicate targeting petrol stations in smaller towns.
Further investigations are ongoing.