Police officers arrested for freeing suspect

Two police officers have been arrested for mysteriously releasing a robbery suspect handed to them by members of the public.

The officers based at Milimani Police Post, Nakuru, were on patrol when residents handed to them a suspect together with allegedly stolen goods worth over Sh300,000.

A third officer who was in the patrol car is yet to be arrested as it emerged they were in a territory they were not supposed to be.

Nakuru OCPD Bernard Kioko said the officers are under investigations and will face the law just like other suspects.

“We have arrested them after we took statements from the members of the public who handed over the suspects and the victim of the theft,” he said.

Kioko said police officers are supposed to book suspects in police cells and not collude with them.

“It is unfortunate that this will erode the good will of the public towards police officers just because of a few individuals. We will not condone this and officers involved should know they are on their own,” he said.

The officers arrested are constables Hassan Chesebe and Kawa Munandi. Yesterday police continued to interrogate the officers to know the circumstances for the release of the suspect who is still at large.

Witnesses said two burglars broke into a boutique at Kabarnet town belonging to Baringo County Assembly nominated mMember Cynthia Jerotich and carried the stolen goods in two public vehicles.

However, on their way to Nakuru, passengers who had boarded the first vehicle alongside one of the criminals became suspicious after the suspect confused the stage he was to alight at.

“He said he was to alight at a non-existent petrol station and everybody became suspicious. This is when we detected there was a problem,” said the driver of the PSV Duncan Yator in his statement to the police. During interrogation, he allegedly told the driver he was a prison warden at the Nakuru GK prison unaware that in the vehicle was a prison officer attached to Kabarnet correctional facility.

“From his explanation, it was clear we were dealing with a thief and immediately we pulled the vehicle to a roadblock and handed over the suspect alongside a 90kg bag full of clothes and four suitcases,” said Anthony Slight, the prison officer, in his statement.

He said on inspection, the suitcases had assorted clothes and the sack had several new shoes.

Yator, the driver, said he tried to inquire from him where he got the items but he offered no explanation.

The occupants of the second vehicle were alerted and police officers from Menengai Police Station swung into action by intercepting the vehicle before Nakuru town and arrested the second suspect and secured two sacks containing several women shoes.

Ironically, when the owner of the stolen goods arrived at Nakuru Central Police station to identify her belongings, the suspect and the goods could not be traced.

Luckily, one of the police officers had given his mobile number to the PSV driver advising him to call in case of any information in relation to the stolen items.

But when she tried to call, the police officer allegedly switched off the phone and after sending Sh50 through the M-Pesa transfer, the name Kawa Lumangati was reflected as the registered owner.

“It was police officers who informed me the name belonged to their colleague attached to Milimani Police Post,” she said.

According to preliminary investigations, the officers denied receiving the suspects and the goods.

A police source alleged the three had not been assigned duty that night although they had a patrol car.

“It is clear the public had handed over criminals to other criminals inform of security officers. It is ironical that criminals can be arrested by the members of the public only to be aided away by police officers,” the MCA said.