By JOB WERU and MUNENE KAMAU
NYERI; KENYA: Police in Nyeri and Kirinyaga at the weekend arrested six men and recovered a home-made AK-47 rifle and 48 rounds of ammunition in two unrelated incidents.
Nyeri Central OCPD Joseph Leshimpiro said they arrested six men believed to be behind a spate of criminal activities in Nyeri town at a hotel room in Ruring’u area, following a tip off from members of the public.
Police also recovered an improvised AK-47 rifle, two bullets, a Toyota Corolla car, two swords, a bolt and padlock cutter, six crates of beer, a saw and three pairs of safari boots.
The OCPD said one of the gang members arrested during the 1am incident is a former jailbird. He said the suspects had hired the room, which they used to hide and store weapons.
READ MORE
Man and woman swindle millions in fake KDF, police jobs
How red wire led to discovery of bomb on Migori bridge
“We will take them to court after we complete investigations and we call on the public who have been robbed to record statements and identify whether they were among those who robbed them,” he said.
He added that the gang has been using the improvised gun to terrorise and rob residents of valuables.
Two week ago, an unknown number of thugs invaded two residential houses in Ruring’u and Skuta estates and made away with electronics.
Armed with crude weapons, they entered the houses at midnight through the window after cutting the security grills.
The OCPD said the gang escaped after other residents raised the alarm.
And in Kirinyaga, police netted 46 assorted bullets packed in a polythene bag and hidden on the banks of the Thiba River.
The cache was unearthed by the officers on Thursday evening while on night patrol at Kutus trading centre, following a tip off from a resident who had discovered the strange polythene bag.
Kirinyaga County AP Commander Zachary Mbugua said the informer was passing near the area when he became suspicious after noticing some men concealed in the shadows of a tree by the banks of the river.
The cache included nine 9mm and 37 0.38 special series bullets. It has been handed over to the police in Kerugoya for further investigations.
