Six suspects were arraigned in Maua Law Court on Thursday, December 14, for raiding and setting Antubeiga Police station on fire in Meru County.
According to a statement from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects on December 6, 2023 incited about 500 mourners in Muringene, Igembe Central to raid the police post, and stole a loaded AK47 rifle before torching the station.
“After concluding investigations into the December 6, 2023 daring breaking into a police armoury and stealing a loaded AK47 rifle by a riotous mob, detectives have arraigned six suspects at Maua Law Courts,” DCI noted in a statement.
The six suspects are David Kaberia Kobia, Felix Kimathi Mutheria, Benard Mutuma alias Toto, Pius Ntongai, Eliud Mukiri Kalatu and Erastus Mwenda Kaibutia.
“Armed with the stolen rifle held by Erastus Mwenda, the mob proceeded to Muringene Police Station where they subdued the officers and aided the escape of all the prisoners, before destroying all the station’s stationeries and furniture, then shattered window panes of the police line and the chief’s office,” read part of DCI report.
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Police investigations revealed that the occurrences were well calculated moves by some die-hard criminals, who were out to rob police firearms.
The suspects were arrested after detectives from DCI Headquarters in the Crime Research and Operations unit were deployed to join their Meru counterparts in a rigorous manhunt for the dreaded criminals.
Erastus Mwenda was arrested on December 8 from a hideout in Nanyuki, and after a brief interrogation, he led the officers to a bar at Nturuba Market within Igembe Central where a pistol was recovered.
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“A search in one of the rooms occupied by Felix Kimathi saw the recovery of a pistol that was hidden under the mattress, who upon arrest and interrogation revealed that the firearm belonged to his partner-in-crime, Eliud Mukiri Kalatu,” DCI noted.
On December 9, intelligence leads circled a homestead at Kiengu sub-county in Igembe South, where Eliud Mukiri, 30 and Bernard Mutuma Kobia alias Toto, 28 were arrested.
“After moments of searching on the Thangaa Prayer Mountain, detectives identified a point where the region’s fertile earth had been disturbed, and upon digging, retrieved the police rifle with an empty magazine stashed in a gunny bag,” read part of the police report.
On December 10, the detectives embarked on a search for the missing rounds of ammunition, 14 of which were found buried a safe distance outside the VIP Bar located along the Maua-Kangeta road, which is owned by Eliud Mukiri.
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When the suspects were arraigned for plea-taking on December 14, detectives established that Bernard Mutuma Toto, Felix Kimathi and Eliud Mukiri are all accomplices in the pending murder case at Meru High Court.
Meanwhile, Maua Law Courts denied a bond request by the six suspects, scheduling the case to be mentioned on January 10, 2024.
