How suspected mugger was arrested during botched robbery in Korogocho
A 35-year-old man who was arrested by the police while mugging a pedestrian at Korogocho bridge in Kariobangi North, Nairobi has been charged with robbery contrary to section 296 (2) of the Penal Code.
Benson Mungai was charged with violently robbing Julius Samali of his cash on September 7, 2023, jointly with an accomplice who was lynched by irate members of the public after escaping the police at the scene.
Mungai is accused of threatening to use actual violence against the complainant during the alleged robbery.
On that day, undercover police officers were on patrol at 5am when they received information from their traffic department colleagues that there were two men robbing members of the public at the bridge while armed with knives.
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The officers proceeded to the scene where they found the two suspects wrestling Mr Samali’s friend Francis Ngaruiya who raised an alarm while being robbed. Mr Samali had already fled the scene after being robbed, leaving his friend in the grip of the two suspects.
The officers fired in the air to scare the suspects but they ignored the warning and went on with the robbery.
The undercover officers rescued Ngaruiya and arrested Mr Mungai as his accomplice escaped and fled towards a nearby market as members of the public gave chase.
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The unidentified suspect was lynched before police officers who arrested Mr Mungai arrived at the scene.
Mr Mungai was taken to Kariobangi Police Station, where they met Mr Samali who positively identified the suspect as one of the two men who robbed him.
Police went back to the scene where Mr Mungai’s accomplice was lynched and both Ngaruiya and Samali identified him as one of their assailants.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) established that Mr Ngaruiya did not lose anything as he was rescued before the thugs succeeded in robbing him.
Mr Mungai denied the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Agnes Mwangi and was granted a bond of Sh100,000. The case will be mentioned on November 20, 2023 before the hearing starts on May 20, 2024.
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