The search for three suspected gangsters who have been robbing M-Pesa attendants in Nairobi appears to have come to a deadly end.
The three suspects, who are believed to be behind the murders of two traders two weeks ago, were lynched by a mob moments after they stole Sh1.2 million from an M-Pesa shop in Marurui estate on the Northern Bypass.
The daring trader, identified as Mr Joseph Kariuki Ng’ang’a, pursued the thugs as he raised an alarm that the trio had made away with his Sh1.2 million.
The move prompted members of the public to chase after them and later lynched them at Njathaini estate a few metres from the Northern Bypass.
Mr Kariuki had been attacked by three men at gunpoint who threatened him and robbed him of Sh900,000 in cash, a Dell laptop worth Sh25,000 and airtime scratch cards worth Sh300,000.
“They later took off towards Shell Petrol Station direction where they jumped on a motorcycle whose registration number was not captured and sped off towards Kiambu along the Northern bypass,” a police report seen by the Nation read.
Members of the public managed to catch the three and lynched them. Police later transferred to the City Mortuary.
Kilimani Sub-county police boss Mr Andrew Mbogo said the three had been on the police radar following the Adams Arcade incident.
“The firearm that was found after they were killed by a mob is the same one that was used at Adams Arcade,” said Mr Mbogo.
Police said the recovered firearm had been stolen from a police officer in June 2019.
At the time, the said officer was attached to Riruta police station and is currently working at Shauri Moyo station.
Two chilling incidents
On June 16, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations released CCTV footage of the two chilling incidents at Adams Arcade.
“The thug is part of a wider armed and dangerous gang that staged an attack at M-Pesa shops located at Adams market,” the DCI said at the time.
In the footage, which was obtained by detectives and shared on social media, the man is seen buying a bottle of water from the premises.
He then distracts the M-Pesa attendant after she looks away and grabs a phone that is lying on the counter before fleeing after he was confronted.
The footage then shows the M-Pesa attendant with her colleague opening the shop door and running after the suspect.
In another incident that also happened in Adams Arcade, a female attendant was seen resisting attempts by a gang member to enter the banking hall after which she is shot and collapses on the floor amidst screams.
Police identified the victims as Gathoni Maina, 53, who was an M-Pesa attendant and 50-year-old Githinji Gitau who was responding to the screams from the woman. BY DAILY NATION