Nakuru Police Arrest 7 Suspects Linked to Series of M-Pesa Robberies, AK-47 Rifle Recovered
- Nakuru police officers on the night of Sunday, June 1, arrested seven suspects believed to be behind a wave of armed robberies in the area
- The suspects were arrested following a shootout that involved police officers who were on patrol around the Freehold area
- During the operation, an AK-47 rifle, believed to be the one that the criminals were using, was also recovered near a lodging in Bondeni
Police officers in Nakuru are holding seven people suspected to be part of a criminal gang behind a series of armed robberies within the city.

Source: Original
The suspects were arrested on the night of Sunday, June 1. An AK-47 rifle suspected to have been used by the criminal gangs in the robberies was also recovered.
Among those arrested are four Tanzanian nationals from the Kuria area and an ex-convict who was released from Nakuru GK Prison about a month ago.

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Where did Nakuru police recover the AK-47 rifle?
Addressing the media at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices in Nakuru, Nakuru County Commissioner Lyford Kibaara said the gun was recovered near a lodging in Bondeni after a shootout between police officers patrolling around Freehold and the criminals.
"For one week, we have been having a series of serious crimes that are robbery with violence. Four members of the public, particularly M-Pesa vendors, were killed,” Kibaara said.
The county security boss said cartridges recovered from the scenes and taken for ballistic examination in Nairobi were confirmed to have been fired from an AK-47 rifle.
According to the police, for the past three days, there have been cases of break-ins targeting M-Pesa shops between 7pm - 8pm. Some of the culprits engaged police officers in a shootout on Sunday, June 1.
"Last night, our officers, while on patrol, bumped into the gangs, and a shootout arose. After the shootout, we tracked their movements throughout the night and arrested four suspects who are now in police custody along with the firearm," the county commissioner said.
"This firearm was found in Bondeni near a lodging, where a kiosk operator could retrieve and hand it over when needed for their illegal activities," he added.
Criminal gang linked to Nakuru M-Pesa robberies
In addition, Kibaara revealed that a mobile signal from the crime areas where deaths occurred linked the suspects, indicating a criminal gang was operating.

Source: Original
The recovered gun will now be examined to determine its origin and how civilians acquired it for criminal activities.
"We believe this gang might be larger than currently known. We are still pursuing the leads to nab more who could have been working with the criminals," he said.
The arrest of the suspects comes even as the county commissioner assured Nakuru residents that the security situation would be brought under control and asked them not to panic.
Missing Nakuru M-Pesa attendant found dead
Previously, TUKO.co.ke reported that the body of a female Nakuru M-Pesa attendant who had been missing for over a week was found in a mortuary.
Hannah Waithera went missing on her way to deposit KSh 250,000 into her boss's bank account in Nakuru.
Her body was found at the Nakuru county mortuary.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke

Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke

Elijah Cherutich A trained Kenyan journalist with over 10 years of experience in radio and digital media. I am currently based in Nakuru city in the Rift Valley region working as a TUKO.co.ke correspondent.