Two burglars lynched in Meru, three flee
Two suspected burglars in Meru were lynched while three escaped, police said.
Two suspected burglars were Wednesday morning lynched by a mob, after they were connected to a spate of break-ins in Mutuati town, Igembe North, Meru County.
The men were in a gang of five when they were caught red-handed transporting the goods they had looted from various shops and homes.
Angry traders who had found their premises broken-into gathered intelligence that a gang had been spotted about one kilometre from the town ferrying the suspected stolen items, mainly electronics.
They quickly mobilized and armed themselves with pangas and other crude weapons and headed in the direction where they seized the two while the other three managed to escape.
The mob then beat up the suspects with crude weapons and slashed them with pangas, trying to force them to reveal the identity of the other suspects, before police rescued them.
Mutuati police boss William Leting said the two died as they were being rushed to Nyambene sub-county hospital for treatment.
He said some of the stolen items were recovered.
Mr Leting said the burglars are suspected to be members of the notorious Nkomori gang who have been terrorizing residents for the past few years.
“They were five but three of them managed to escape while two were seized by members of the public and by bad luck, they were beaten up and were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
“There has been an increase in criminal activities perpetrated by a gang of young men. I warn them to stop criminal activities or they will be arrested and prosecuted,” he warned.
Mr Leting declined to release the names of the deceased, saying they were subject of an investigation.
Members of the business community decried an increase in criminal activities, with the gang breaking into numerous shops the previous night.
Mr Peter Mung’athia said they had experienced a rise in insecurity in Amwathi, Antubetwe and Nathu and called for increased security.
