Root out criminal gangs targeting bar patrons
The fatal shooting of a suspected criminal gang leader in Nairobi has opened the lid on a crime that has caused a lot of pain and suffering.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has named the victim of the broad daylight attack as one of the masterminds of a syndicate that has been spiking patrons’ drinks in bars and restaurants before robbing them.
The DCI has arrested a key suspect in the man’s killing. His interrogation will, hopefully, reveal the details of a deadly racket that has gone on for years. The man, who was killed on Mirema Drive on Nairobi’s northern outskirts, is suspected to have been the leader of a harem of drugging queens. The gang has been making millions of shillings daily, thanks to the involvement of rogue police officers.
Besides fleets of cars, the crooks are also said to have amassed other properties, including apartments, from the proceeds of their ‘Pishori empire’.
The revelations of the exploits of the ‘mchele’ gangs point to the rot in the police service and major banks, whose wayward staff abet the wrongdoing. The stolen money is deposited into accounts operated by the crooks in collusion with bank staff. Some 12 women and two men in the syndicate have been identified.
They include some who were arrested in the recent past as the racket reached alarming levels in Kiambu and Nairobi. The slain man is said to have been arrested 30 times in the past 11 years, but most likely bribed his way out.
This apparent breakthrough should be a major step towards stopping these gangs. The three major banks named in the investigations should cooperate with the police to weed out the rogue employees abetting the rackets.
Unless this happens, the fraudsters will only briefly go underground and resurface once the dust settles. This menace must be rooted out once and for all.
