How suspected gangsters with crude weapons pulled off daring robbery
Four men suspected to be members of a 10-man gang that raided a company along Mombasa road in Nairobi and robbed workers are facing charges of robbery with violence.
They accused – Geoffrey Anami alias Mukangala, Dominic Mutungi, Gaddafi Okore and Patrick Mutuku Mawathe – allegedly robbed their victims of mobile phones, assorted household items, industrial tools and electronics while armed with crude weapons.
The four, who were charged at the Makadara Law Courts, allegedly robbed Moses Mungai of a mobile phone, two mattresses, a TV set, two gas cylinders, a cooking meko and flush light lump.
Other items stolen from Mr Mungai during the alleged daylight robbery include three spanners, assorted clothes and beddings. Mr Mungai lost items valued at Sh263,000. He was also robbed of Sh9,000 in cash.
The four are also accused of robbing Mr Mungai’s colleague, Erick Mugo, of a mobile phone, two pairs of shoes and assorted clothes all valued at Sh10,000 and Sh5,000 in cash.
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Police said the four suspects and their accomplices were armed with pangas, claw hammers and chisels and are said to have assaulted Mr Mungai and Mr Mugo during the robbery at the Beige Investment Limited yard on May 25, 2023.
The suspects were also charged with theft contrary to section 268 as read with section 275 of the penal code where they are accused of stealing 10 pieces of moulding concrete post boxes and ten metal bars valued at Sh57,000 belonging to the company.
The four have also been charged with malicious damage to property contrary to section 339 (1) of the penal code where they are accused of willfully and unlawfully destroying a perimeter wall worth Sh41,964 at the company which they allegedly broke to gain entry.
Other charges include maliciously destroying a perimeter wall of Central Farmers Garage Limited worth Sh25,000 which they allegedly broke to gain access.
The accused persons and their accomplices at large are said to have invaded Beige Investment Limited where they drilled the perimeter wall to forcefully enter and tied the security guards on hands and legs before proceeding with the alleged robbery.
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The security guards later called their colleagues and informed them of the incident who responded but the thugs fled. Police officers who were on patrol and arrested two of the accused persons – Mr Okore and Mt Mutungi.
Mr Okore was allegedly found loading some of the items stolen from the complainants on his motorcycle while Mutungi was arrested in a nearby bush.
One of the arrested suspects led police officers to Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums where two other suspects were arrested and items used to break into the company were recovered. Also recovered were some of the items stolen from the company’ staffers.
The suspects were detained at Mombasa Road Police Station before they were arraigned in court. They denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate Mercy Malingu. They claimed that they were assaulted and injured during the arrest.
Ms Malingu granted the suspects bond of Sh800,000 and issued an order for them to be escorted to hospital. The case will be mentioned on July 20, 2023 before hearing starts on September 19, 2023.
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