A gunned down suspect lying next to pistol police found him with. | image source: the-star.co.ke
Police in Kirinyaga gunned down four suspected gangsters after heavy exchange of fire at Mutithi trading center along Mwea-Makutano road on Saturday.
The special crime prevention unit had followed the suspects, who were armed with two AK47 rifles, from Ngurubani area and overpowered them as they attempted to escape the police dragnet, Mwea East Sub-County OCPD Titus Yoma said.
Yoma added that the suspects were also found in possession of seven rounds of ammunition.
He said two of the suspects had been identified with one hailing from Maragua in the neighboring Muranga County while the other was from Karatina in Nyeri County.
“Our fingerprint experts are on the way to examine and determine the identity of the remaining two suspects as investigations continue to establish if the guns recovered have been used to commit robberies elsewhere,” Yoma said
Area residents who spoke to the Kenya News Agency claimed the four could have been responsible for last week’s armed robbery at a soda store where they made off with KES 700,000 in cash while another trader Catherine Gateri said she was robbed KES 800,000 from her club at the nearby Ngurubani market.
The same gang, the residents alleged was responsible for the robbery at a petrol station in Sagana town, a week ago where they escaped with Sh 1.5 million and gas cylinders.
- The STAR