Police in Nyeri arrest couple linked to violent robberies, recover pistol

Police in Nyeri Town on Thursday morning arrested a pregnant woman and her boyfriend who were in possession of a pistol as they boarded a matatu attempting to flee.

The arrest comes as police unearthed a new trend of crime involving women.

The two, identified as Alex Mathenge and Vanessa Wambui, alias Tisho, were nabbed in a Nanyuki-bound matatu by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers and a Ceska pistol with five rounds of ammunition sized.

The duo have been linked to a series of violent robberies in the town and police sources disclosed that the two had already spent 10 rounds of ammunition in various robberies in the last few weeks.

Police were acting on a tipoff from members of the public who reported that a couple had been sighted behaving suspiciously.

IN POLICE WATCH LIST

Undercover detectives were dispatched to track the suspects, who were on the police watch list.

They were first spotted at the town’s lower matatu terminus, where they tried to board a matatu but alighted when they spotted police officers in the area, leaving some of their luggage behind.

Detectives caught up with them soon after they boarded the Nanyuki-bound matatu at another terminus on the other end of the town.

The couple, according to witnesses, seemed uneasy and had wrapped some clothes in a leso as if they were in a hurry.

“They sat at the back seat, then the woman sat on her handbag which is very unusual,” said Martin Nzangi, a passenger who had boarded the matatu.

The male suspect is said to have alighted from the vehicle several times and could be seen looking around.

Police officers then moved in and arrested the suspects, who had already been issued with travel tickets.

DREADED CRIMINAL

Police revealed that the woman is one of the most dreaded criminals in the town and is popularly known as Wambui Tisho, and that she could be one of many women being used by criminal gangs in armed robberies.

“She does not appear to be a criminal but she is one of the most feared.

“There is a likelihood that many more women have been inducted into criminal gangs since [their] physical appearance does not give away a criminal easily,” said Masai Makau the town OCPD.

The couple were said to have been involved in multiple robberies in the past three weeks in residential estates around Nyeri and Karatina towns.

Their arrest came even as police intensified security in an attempt to root out crime in the area and apprehend some of the most wanted criminals.

“It is a successful day but we are not done yet. We will deal with every criminal accordingly regardless of gender,” said the OCPD.