NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 22 – Detectives in Meru have apprehended three men believed to be the members of a criminal gang linked to an upsurge of violent robberies in the Mount Kenya County.
Authorities identified the suspects as Narman Kioo Bariu, Stephen Mathenge Njoroge and Matthew Koome alias Pator.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Tuesday that the trio were being sought for various felonies pending before Meru, Githongo and Nanyuki law courts, including murder, robbery, attempted defilement and house breaking.
“During the stealth operation which also led to the recovery of two motor vehicles used by the suspects to traverse the county to their target spots, the ring leader of the gang Jeremy Mutethia escaped police dragnet by slipping away through a camouflaged opening in his wooden house,” the DCI stated.
Part of the information held by the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau detectives indicate that Mutethia and Bariu met previously at Meru GK prison as remandees for robbery with violence and murder charges respectively and have been out on bond.
Following their release, detectives say Mutethia has le dhis gang in a spate of violent robberies including the Turkwel Filling Station (Tigania West) night attack on April 24, 2023 where pump attendants were robbed at gunpoint.
During the 2am incident, DCI says the victims were assaulted by an 8-member gang before being tied with ropes.
The agency stated that the suspected assailants who were armed with two AK47 rifles made away with Sh57,000 cash a safe box with an unknown amount of money.
In another incident linked to the gang on May 14, the suspects are reported to have accosted a bodaboda rider at Makutano, Imenti North in a botched attempt to rob his motorbike.
“Having failed to cooperate, they shot at him frenziedly hitting his left arm and damaging the bike. He luckily survived,” the agency stated.
The agency urged the members of the public to be cautious adding that some members of the gang are on the lose and could be armed.
The DCI appealed any member of the public with information on the gang to report it to the nearest police station or contact them via the agency’s toll-free hotline.
