Two police officers held in robbery with violence incident

Nkubu Police station

Nkubu Police station where two police officers were arrested in connection to robbery with violence. 

Photo credit: Charles Wanyoro | Nation Media Group

Police in Gatunga, Tharaka Nithi County, are holding two police officers in connection to an incident of violent robbery on Wednesday night.

Detectives picked Sergeant John Lekideyo and police constable Kelvin Kinyua based at Nkubu Police Station after robbery victims claimed that a vehicle used by the robbers belonged to Mr Lekidayo.

Police are also investigating a possibility that the AK-47 rifle used in the robbery near Ura Gate was issued by Mr Lekideyo who is in-charge of the armoury at the station.

Initial report indicates that on the material day, Mr Lekideyo had issued Mr Kinyua with an AK-47 rifle serial number 5423659 without booking the kind of duty they were attending.

He later discreetly returned the rifle in the armoury without notifying Nkubu OCS Syuki Munyi.

Mr Morris Mawira reported that he was transporting building hardware in company of two loaders, when his lorry was blocked by a white Toyota Fielder which had four occupants armed with an Ak-47 rifle.

They ordered Mr Mawira together with Mr David Kuyo and Mr Boniface Orito to get out of the lorry and bundled them inside the station wagon during the 8pm incident.

Some of the robbers took charge of the lorry and drove off, as the frightened trio were driven towards Meru and dumped in a maize plantation in Gaitu market.

The three then made their way to Gaitu police station where they made a report describing the vehicle and gun used.

After Mr Mawira made the report, police circulated an urgent message detailing the crime to nearby police stations.

It is then that officers at Nkubu Police Station alerted Mr Munyi that the white station wagon belonged to Mr Lekidayo.

It is reported that at one point between 5pm and 8pm, Mr Munyi had tried to call the former GSU officer but his calls went unanswered.

The following morning, the white station wagon whose number plates were circulated were found parked within Nkubu Police Station compound.

Imenti South police boss Abdirahman Musa said the lorry that had ferried the construction hardware goods was later found abandoned near Nithi River in Tharaka Nithi with goods stolen.

He said they had also handed over the rifle, three mobile phones belonging to the officers and the motor vehicle to Tharaka North DCIO for further investigations.

A Marimanti magistrate’s court allowed the sleuths 10 days to complete investigations.