By Kelly Mumbi
Detectives in Kibwezi have recovered 418 bags of rice out of the total 522 that were stolen while in transit from Mombasa to Nairobi.
According to the Directives of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the incident occurred when a five-man gang intercepted the lorry carrying the rice at Thange ward in Kibwezi.
The driver, a 46-year-old man, was ambushed at 2:30 am, assaulted, tied up and thrown out of the vehicle by the gang.
“In the 2.30 am incident, the 46-year-old driver of the Isuzu FRR lorry had slowed down at a bumpy section behind another slow-moving trailer when the gang suddenly emerged and managed to gain entry into the driver’s cabin,” wrote DCI on X.
After inspecting to see what he was ferrying, the men assaulted him before tying him up with ropes and throwing him out as they drove off the highway.
Fortunately, he was able to seek help from a local motorcyclist who took him to the Machinery Police Post, where he gave his statement of the ordeal and the theft of the 522 bags of rice, each weighing 25kg.
“A motorcyclist, a member of the local community, who found the fear-stricken driver helplessly shivering in the cold, gave him a ride to the Machinery Police Post.,” read DCI’s statement in part.
“This act of support and solidarity, where the driver reported his ordeal and the theft of 522 bags, each containing 25kg of rice, is a testament to the strength of our community policing,” added the DCI.
The highway robbery was circulated across all police networks between Nairobi and Mombasa, where the Director of Operations at DCI Headquarters and his RCIO Coast counterpart mobilized Kibwezi teams in the pursuit, working with crucial leads obtained from tip-offs.
The collaborative efforts of the police from Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kibwezi led to the recovery of the lorry, with 106 bags missing and abandoned near the Manyanga shopping centre.
The same was driven to Kibwezi Police Station as the pursuit for the suspects is still ongoing.