An attempt by a gang of highway robbers to steal cargo from a transit vehicle was thwarted after police officers gunned down one of them near Chimoi trading centre along Eldoret – Webuye highway in Matete Sub County on Saturday evening.
Matete OCPD, Mr. Justus Maina confirmed the 9 pm incident in which police officers ambushed three robberd as they attempted to loot cargo from the transit lorry that was heading to Kampala, Uganda.
According to the OCPD, the gang tampered with the vehicle’s breaks, forcing it to stop along the steep road before they assaulted its driver robbed him his mobile phone and cash and attempted to steal its cargo.
“However, police officers, who were on patrol at time of the incident, fired bullets killing one of the robbers on spot,” said Maina, adding that two of the deceased’s accomplices managed to escape with bullet injuries on their bodies.
The police boss said the suspects are believed to be member of hardcore criminals that have been for a longtime terrorizing truck drivers while descending the slope.
The Deceased was identified as Derrick Odhiambo aged 22 and his body was transferred to Webuye sub county morgue as police launched a manhunt for the suspects who ran with bullet wounds.
Maina has urged area residents, and especially health officers to report to nearest security officers any person spotted with bullet wounds on his body.
And in what seemed to be a mockery incident, despite the shooting another gang attacked a second truck near Chekalini about three kilometers from the scene of the first incident few minutes past mid-night where they assaulted the conductor robbed him his cell phone as the driver left the vehicle and ran for his safety after the gang disengaged the vehicles’ braking system.
However quick interventions by police officers rescued the two as the gangs vanished in the dark.
Following the incidents the OCPD warned that such kind of unstained behavior portrayed by the area residents will not be tolerated saying they will work tirelessly to wipe out residents involved in highway robbery.
He said police had mounted a vigil along the highway adding that a section of idlers who had taken to whiling along various parts of the road will be arrested.
