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Chinese battling torture charges


A Chinese national and three men he allegedly hired to torture a businessman while demanding Sh800,000 from him are staring at the possibility of being charged with robbery with violence.

Deng Xiangkai was arrested on June 27 alongside his accomplices Denherick Gikandi Ngoo, Yonga Didier Omia, and Salim Aywera Andati for demanding money with menaces from Stanley Njenga

Police constable Peter Ojwang of Muthangari police station said the four suspects were arrested at Xiangkai’s house in Lavington, Nairobi where cops found them torturing Njenga.

Onjwang said police intervened after a member of the public called and reported that someone was making distress calls at Xiangkai’s house.

The cop said his colleagues found the four having robbed Njenga of his wristwatch and Sh650.

Njenga had reached out to his friend to help him get the Sh800,0000 demanded by the four at an apartment but the friend informed the police.

Ojwang said police proceeded to the apartment and lied to the private security guard that they had the Sh800,000 and were allowed into the house where they found Njenga bleeding from wounds on the head and both legs, while groaning in pain.

He said Xiangkai had invited Njenga to his house before ordering his four accomplices to torture him.

The policeman made the disclosure at the Kibera law courts where he was seeking the court’s permission to keep the four in custody for five days to conclude investigations.

The cop told principal magistrate Sharon Maroro that the identification of the four suspects has not been concluded.

He said Njenga’s P3 form had not been filled although police had his treatment notes, and the member of the public who reported the incident to police has also not recorded a statement.

In support of Onjwang’s application, prosecution counsel Robert Ogallo told Maroro the four could be charged with robbery with violence after the investigations.

But the four suspects’ lawyers led by Sam Nyaberi opposed the application.

They argued that police had already violated their constitutional rights by holding them for more than 24 hours and warned Maroro against being used to rubber-stamp trampling of suspects’ rights.

Nyambengi said the four are not flight risks adding that Xiangkai is legally present in Kenya with a work permit and he can’t leave the country because his passport has been detained by the Kilimani police station owing to another criminal case.

He has been charged with money laundering and is out on bail and bonds.