Detectives have arrested three suspects believed to be behind a reign of terror in Nyamira and Kisii Counties, including the attack on a 96-year-old grandmother who had prayed for them before they struck.
The elderly woman, described by neighbours as a devout Catholic, was attacked at her home in the dead of night.
According to investigators, when confronted by the armed gang, she offered a prayer for them in a desperate plea to touch their conscience.
The suspects briefly bowed their heads, but moments later turned on her. They ransacked her home, consumed the milk she had saved for her medication, and made away with electronics and other valuables.
''In one incident, the gang struck at the home of a 96-year-old grandmother in the dead of night. The devout Catholic, perhaps hoping to save their soul, offered a prayer for her uninvited visitors. The gang respectfully bowed their heads, but the holiness stopped there,'' a police report confirmed.
Following the incident, detectives from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), working alongside officers from Kenyanya and Nyamira, launched a probe that linked the suspects to a series of violent robberies in the region.
The investigations established that the gang had staged at least three separate heists: two in Ramasha and another in Magena.
After weeks of tracking, officers mounted a coordinated operation that smoked three members of the gang out of their hideouts in Kisii.
The sting operation also led to the recovery of stolen electronics and a motorcycle that the gang had been using in their criminal activities.
Police said the arrests bring relief to residents of Nyamira and Kisii, who have for months lived in fear of violent robberies, sexual assaults, and defilement attributed to the gang.
The three suspects are currently in custody and undergoing processing before being arraigned in court to face multiple charges, including murder, robbery with violence, and sexual offences.
On March 30, Detectives arrested four more suspects in connection with the assault of a woman during her estranged husband’s burial in Nyamira County.
The suspects were accused of forcing the victim to participate in traditional rituals against her will and assaulting her, resulting in injuries.
