Police arrest 12 suspected members of criminal gangs

From right: Changamwe deputy sub-county police commander Nyawa Murinzi, OCS Simon Mukaria and OC crime officer David Mutuku displaying some items seized gangs. [Gideon Maundu, Standard]

Police in Mombasa are holding 12 suspected members of criminal gangs and impounded weapons from them.

The suspects aged between 14 and 20 years were arrested during police operations in Mwagozi, Mkomani, Wayani, Kwahola and Nuru in Changamwe.

The police claimed the suspects are members of terror groups dubbed Waroma, Wananyuki, Mumbai, Sukari ya Warembo and Spanish and were armed with machetes when they were arrested. 

Items confiscated included 16 machetes, iron bars, six cellphones, two toy pistols, six cellphones batteries, and a woofer system. Military style attire and 10 rolls of bhang were also recovered. Changamwe Sub-county Deputy Police Commander Rev Nyawa Murinzi and Officer Commanding Station Dr Samson Mukaria who led the operation said a multi agency team was quickly activated after they received reports from community policing officials that an armed group had been sighted.

He said the officers stormed one of the houses where two members were hiding and made an arrest.

“The two we first arrested upon interrogation led us to different hideouts where the other group was, we managed to arrest 12 of them,’’ said Mr Murinzi.