Police looking for group of kidnappers, burglars linked to series of crimes in Nairobi

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet at the Police CID Headquarters, Nairobi on 28/03/2017. [PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE]

Police are looking for a group of kidnappers and burglars who have been linked to a series of crimes in Eastlands, Kileleshwa, and Kilimani.

The kidnappers are said to target individuals they believe are rich and vulnerable.

According to police investigations, the kidnappers operate in Kayole, Zimmerman, Ruai, and Githurai, where they are believed to have secret safe houses.

The head of investigations in Nairobi, Nicholas Kamwende, said the men use hired cars and lure their victims, posing as customers of any business.

“The suspects are still out there terrorising the innocent. Help us put them where they belong,” he urged Nairobians.

Detectives have circulated pictures of the suspects who they believe could be behind the incidents.

Police said they are persons of interest and that they want to interrogate them as part of efforts to solve the crimes.

One victim, Catherine Ndegwa, 29, a plumber operating in Kayole area, was kidnapped and held for 10 days.

Her family paid a ransom of about Sh4 million to have her freed. Ms Ndegwa had on September 9 been summoned by an unknown person for a job in Ruai area in a house allegedly owned by a military officer.

They agreed to meet at the Kayole junction on Kangundo Road. According to police, the woman drove there with her boyfriend.

“The kidnappers told her their client did not like seeing many people in his compound and so they requested that the boyfriend stay behind and wait for her to come back,” police say.

That evening the group called the woman’s parents and demanded a Sh60 million. They warned that if police were alerted they would kill her.

In a panic, the relatives sent Sh900,000 to the group. According to police, the group members kept changing their location as they withdrew the money from various banks.

Two of them were captured on a security camera at the Zimmerman Equity Bank branch while withdrawing part of the money from Ndegwa’s account.

The image captured at the ATM, according to police, is of some of the men behind the incident and they want the public to help capture them.

Police said the men dumped the victim after getting the money they wanted.

Another group in Kilimani is believed to be behind a series of burglaries in which electronic goods valued at millions of shillings have been stolen.

Members of the group were captured on a CCTV camera at Heri Heights, where they had broken into the house of regional head of Honda Motors, Hirohide Ichikawa, and stolen Sh300,000 and other valuables. Ichikawa had gone to play golf at the Railway Golf Club at about 2pm.

It emerged that the thieves had earlier on booked in as guests at the serviced apartments as they planned the break in. “They sell the electronic goods in Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Rwanda. It is a big cartel and we think these are part of them,” said Kamwende.