Three suspected armed gangsters, who were recently shot dead in the Corner Mbaya Area within Bonchari, Kisii County, were found to have been involved in a violent robbery at a mini-supermarket back in July, where they killed a security guard, according to the police.
The trio had been under surveillance by law enforcement officers, who tracked them from Migori County to Kisii County after they were captured by a CCTV camera during the earlier robbery, while the store owner was closing shop.
“The three suspects were positively identified by the owner of the mini-supermarket, which was robbed in mid-July,” a sleuth attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) told Nairobi News.
The shop owner even noted that the suspects’ shoes matched those seen in the CCTV footage.
During the July incident, the robbers entered the store, one of them concealing his identity with a red and white shawl and pretending to be a customer. Their target was the mobile money agent outlet within the shop.
Brandishing firearms, including an AK47 rifle held by one of the suspects identified as Mr Joseph Mwita, the robbers fired six rounds from the AK47, causing chaos.
A confrontation erupted when an unidentified man in an orange coat and 65-year-old Peter Moenga, wearing a red cap, tried to intervene.
Tragically, Mr Moenga, dressed in a navy blue coat and a red cap at the time, was shot in the back. The individual in the orange coat was assaulted with a blunt object as the robbers forced their way into the shop.
Inside, terrified cashiers sought refuge as the robbers, armed with crude weapons and pistols, made off with cash
The entire ordeal transpired in less than seven minutes, leaving store employees and residents in a state of shock.
In the most recent incident, the suspects, who were planning to carry out a robbery between Kisii Town and Keumbu, were confronted by police officers.
Despite being ordered to surrender, they chose to resist, prompting officers to open fire.
According to Kisii County Police Boss, Mr Charles Kesses, the police received intelligence about the gang’s intentions.
“We had received intelligence that the three were planning to conduct a robbery within Kisii County which made it easy to nab them,” said Mr Kesses.
Officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau had closely monitored the gang.
“Having got wind of the terror gang, Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau detectives forensically analysed their modus operandi based on previously staged robberies before embarking on their painstaking trail,” the DCI said in a statement.
At the time of their confrontation with the police, the suspects were on board a motorcycle with the registration number KMGH 656X. They were armed with an assortment of weapons, including a rifle, a sword, and a machete.
Investigations into the criminal activities of the deceased suspects are ongoing.
