Senior officer set to record statement over Sh6m theft
One of the four police officers suspected to have robbed two people of Sh6 million in Eastleigh, Nairobi, handed over his firearm to a senior police officer before escaping, the People Daily has established.
The senior officer, a Commissioner of Police attached to the National Police Service headquarters, is expected to record a statement with detectives even as the search for the missing officer intensifies.
The revelation emerged on a day that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti said they had widened the scope of investigations into the matter to include individuals who might have aided the robbery as well as the victims, and the owner of the guest house where the incident took place.
Source of money
“We are interested to know the source of the money and what the victims wanted to do with the money. Was it a case of money laundering?” Kinoti asked yesterday.
The top detective said the DCI was following recent incidents where police officers have been implicated in robbery and other criminal activities.
“All the people involved in that incident, including police officers, will face the law and it does not matter which rank they may hold. A thief is a thief, irrespective of their rank,” said Kinoti.
Investigations have revealed that after the missing officer escaped from Eastleigh with about Sh2.5 million, he went to Kayole police station where he handed over the money and a pistol to a female officer identified only as Caro.
The female officer then conspired with Kayole police canteen operator identified as Petronila Njeri to hide the money.
Njeri, according to police sources, has operated the canteen for many years and had vied for the position of Member of County Assembly (MCA) in the 2017 elections.
The two women proceeded to Ruai, where they met the police commissioner whom they gave the gun and a share of the money. The commissioner is said to have immediately returned the pistol to the armoury at Ruai police station.
Should investigations establish that the senior officer played a role in trying to conceal evidence of the robbery, he is likely to be charged with robbery and aiding robbery.
Detectives are still tracking down the missing police constable and also trying to establish how part of the money was divided among the three in Ruai.
“The firearm was handed over to the station by the senior officer in unclear circumstances. Reports also indicate that part of the money was given to some officers at the station,” said a senior officer involved in the investigations.
Four suspects, including three police officers and a foreigner, have been charged over the robbery which was captured on CCTV cameras.
Detectives said six people went to Barwqo Lodge in Eastleigh and robbed Mohammed Hassan Mohammed and Abdulahi Hussein Yusuf of $60,000 (Sh6 million).
Raised alarm
The victims raised the alarm as the suspects fled. Police officers on patrol responded and managed to arrest four of the suspects.
Police sources said the senior officer may be regarded as an accessory given that even after he knew that the junior officer had committed a crime he still assisted in him to avoid arrest and prosecution.
The said Commissioner of Police served as a senior officer in Eastlands, Nairobi, until 2012 when he was transferred. He was eventually posted to Vigilance House.
