Why we arrested Lavington resident, DCI issues statement
National
By
Stephanie Wangari
| Aug 20, 2023
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says members of the public have been misled by a video shared on social media showing detectives arresting an elderly man in Lavington.
In the video that has since gone viral, the elderly man was arrested and taken to the DCI headquarters for questioning in what the detectives said was a case involving a parcel of land.
A section of Kenyans on Twitter, including politician Robert Alai and Human Rights Activist Boniface Mwangi, alleged that the detectives had not followed due process when arresting the man and accused them of invading the man's rights.
The DCI has since responded to these allegations in a statement to newsrooms on Sunday, August 20.
In the statement, DCI stated the matter was first reported by one Munir Ahmed Chaundri, a 75-year-old who currently lives in the United Kingdom.
Munir narrated that he is the registered owner of the piece of land in Lavington. He, however, noted that the current occupants Mahesh Kumar Bhatti and Anita Bhatti were laying claim to the same piece of land.
The complainant went on to state that he bought the piece of land in 1977. Ten years later, in 1987, he sold part of the land to Mahesh and Anita while he retained the other piece.
"The complainant used to visit the property on various occasions, however, on 24th February, 2023, he was denied access which prompted him to report the matter to the DCI headquarters," said DCI in a statement.
DCI, in its findings, says the suspect in the matter has not provided the investigators with any ownership documents relating to the land in dispute
"The Director of Public Prosecution after considering the above facts, directed the prosecution of Mahesh Kumar Bhatti and Anita Bhatti for the offence of forceful detainer contrary to section 91 as read with section 36 of the Penal Code. The suspects were ordered to appear before the court to answer to the above charges," said DCI."
"Despite the unsubstantiated stories that went viral on social media, the truth is in the facts and evidence that will be presented before court in the coming days."