Ten suspected burglars who had broken into a go down in Industrial Area, Nairobi to steal valuables are lucky to be alive.
This is after they were arrested in a police operation Tuesday night as they tried to cart away vehicle spare parts valued at Sh4 million from the store.
Police said they were lucky to be alive given past such operations had turned fatal.
For instance, in 2020, eight men who police termed burglars were mowed down by bullets in a botched incident in the same area.
They had come with a lorry to load metal that was in the store when an alarm was raised leading to the fatal shooting.
Police responded and opened fire killing the eight as they tried to escape the scene.
This prompted a probe from authorities after complaints the cops were trigger happy.
Nairobi police boss Augustine Nthumbi said a lorry had Tuesday night arrived at the store for the mission when an alarm was raised.
INSIDE JOB
He said they suspect an inside job because the main gate was not broken.
The men were loading the fuel cylinders when police arrived and ordered them to surrender.
The lorry and goods that had been loaded were driven to the Industrial Area police station ahead of a planned arraignment of the suspects.
Police say such incidents are common in the area and want owners of the warehouses there to take precautions to tame the trend.
“Such incidents happen because of collusion and this can be addressed through thorough vetting of the guards and other staff members,” said Nthumbi.
Managers of the stores have been urged to ensure they put safety measures for their valuables especially this festive season. BY THE STAR