Three suspected gang members who have been robbing communities in Nyamira and Kisii are now behind bars and one of their worst atrocities was stealing from a 96-year-old woman who prayed for them.
The trio William Obiero Gekonge, James Mogaka Otego, and Justus Ondieki Nyabuto are accused of being responsible for a string of violent robberies, burglary and defilement of women in the region, police add.
In a shocking case, the gang broke into the residence of an elderly grandmother in the middle of the night. The woman, a Catholic, didn’t scream or fight back. She instead asked if she could pray for them.
To everyone’s surprise, the men paused and bowed their heads when she prayed. But that calmness was brief.
After the prayer, the suspects looted whatever they could get drinking the milk that the old woman had prepared for her medication, drinking all her foodstuffs, and stealing electronic devices in her home before making their escape into the night.
Police say the gang is also involved in two other robberies in Ramasha and another in Magena. Weeks of investigations by Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau detectives with the help of Kenyanya and Nyamira officers resulted in the tracing of the suspects and their arrest in Kisii.
Electronic items stolen and a motorbike on which the gang used to travel between crime scenes were recovered by the police at the time of their arrest.
The three suspects have been taken into police custody and will be arraigned when the investigation is complete.
Local residents have welcomed the news of the arrest and said that they are hopeful this will usher in justice and peace to many families who were living in fear.
