The National Police Service (NPS) has announced the arrest of two suspected gang members in Mombasa.
In a statement on Thursday, August 7, NPS revealed that the two machete-wielding suspects were apprehended by officers from the Mjambere Police Station after a public tip-off.
Reportedly, at around 11:45pm on Wednesday night, the officers received a concerning report from the members of the public who had spotted a group of armed young men at Kadongo Stage.
Subsequently, the police officers responded to the sighting, arresting the two suspects who were armed with machetes.
They were then placed in custody, where they remain, awaiting processing and arraignment.
The DCI has since thanked the members of the public for their swift action and asked others to replicate the practice to help police officers keep communities safe.
"We appreciate the public’s continued support and urge everyone to remain vigilant and to work closely with law enforcement to keep our communities safe," DCI stated.
This comes just days after the NPS nabbed four other members of a knife-wielding criminal gang during an operation in the Ngeneni area, within Lunga Lunga Township.
The operation was also conducted following a tip-off from members of the public, targeting a notorious gang that had been terrorising residents.
They were arrested in a single-room residence, where police also recovered five machetes, a black Tanzanian-registered motorcycle suspected to have been used in their criminal activities, and narcotics.
For months now, the Kenyan coast has been experiencing a rise in the number of armed gangs in the region, popularly known as Panga Boys.
In a massive crackdown a few months ago, hundreds were arrested, including 51 who were arrested on April 1, during the ongoing following a public uproar from business owners, politicians, and human rights organisations over the concerning rise in criminal gangs.
