Police officer arrested over Mombasa highway robbery

By Cyrus Ombati

NAIROBI, KENYA: An officer attached to police headquarters is among six suspected robbers who were arrested Tuesday in a dramatic operation along Mombasa Highway, Nairobi.

The officer, who is a motorbike rider, delivers mails from and to police headquarters in Nairobi.

His colleagues who arrested him near Mlolongo weighbridge said he and the other five accomplices who include a woman had tried to hijack a trailer with pharmaceutical drugs valued at Sh30 million.

The 40 feet trailer was headed for Kampala, Uganda when the officer in full uniforms stopped it informing the driver he wanted to inspect it.

According to head of Special Crimes Prevention Unit Noah Katumo, the officer took possession of the driver’s driving licence and rode to a four wheel drive car that had been parked near there.

“He informed the driver to follow him to the car where his “boss” was waiting to talk to him. On reaching there he found three men seated,” said Katumo.

The driver was shocked when he was forced into the car and sandwiched between the occupants as two men took control of his trailer, Katumo said

By then, a team of detectives that were aware of the plan intervened and ordered all of them to surrender.

On interrogation they realised the suspects including the officer are part of a larger gang that has been terrorising drivers on transit.

Katumo said there has been an increase on attacks on trailers involving people in police uniforms.

“In some cases truck drivers have been killed or drugged and dumped in bushes. We are determined to crack this syndicate,” said Katumo.

Truck drivers have complained the attackers are dressed in police uniforms.

Recently, a truck driver was hijacked, killed and his body was dumped in a tea plantation in Limuru.

Katumo said the suspects are expected in court Wednesday morning.