Detectives in Siaya, acting on a tip from a member of the public, apprehended Hastings Omondi Odipo aka Martin aka Umar— a wanted member of a criminal gang operating in the county.
Umar is said to have fled after his gang attacked a police officer, stabbed him to death, and stole his rifle while he and a colleague were escorting examination papers to Mahero Secondary School in Alego Usonga.
The gang also made away with another rifle belonging to the second officer.
According to the police, the suspect is being held at the Lwala Kotieno police station pending processing and arraignment on various charges.
According to a police report obtained by Citizen.Digital, Umar is from a small fishing village in Kadenge and used to work as a fisherman on Nina Beach before joining a local criminal gang.
The gang has been linked to a string of crimes in the western and Nyanza regions.
The arrests come just days after detectives released the names of Umar and his associates, appealing to the public for information on the suspects’ whereabouts.
Detectives are pursuing several other gang members linked to the crime, including Edwin Omondi alias Rashid, Simon Ochieng Ouma alias Ali Baba, Salim Jackoyo, and Edward Wanyama Mukanga alias Abu Naiyah.
Officers investigating the matter have urged the suspects, who are still at large, to surrender to the nearest police station.
