Police Questioned After Shooting Two in Fake Bank Heist

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An undated image of police sealing off a road in Nairobi during a past raid.
File

A senior police boss surrendered his firearm for ballistics examination after he shot two individuals he accused of planning to rob a bank in Nyeri County on Thursday, February 4. 

Nyeri County CIPU Commander Mohammed Alike claimed that the duo arrived at the bank at around 8 pm on a motorbike. One of the suspects was a 33-year-old man, Nicholas Mwangi and the other was the boda boda rider. 

Alike alleged that they pulled out a gun on him, forcing him to open fire. He shot Mwangi on the leg four times as the rider escaped unhurt despite being shot at. Alike, however, pursued and apprehended him and reported the case at Nyeri Police station. 

He claimed that he had shot at gangsters and also foiled a bank heist. The police boss added that he spotted the two while in his personal car parked outside the bank. 

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Police officers in Kenya during a night patrol
File

Detectives detained the two suspects, with the injured Mwangi held at Nyeri County Referral Hospital. Police chained him to his bed, under heavy guard. 

However, further reports availed by Mwangi's employer and family contradicted the statement recorded by the police boss. It was ascertained that Mwangi is an engineer who had been tasked with repairing a generator at the bank. 

The bank and the technician's firm had agreed to service the machine at night to avoid inconveniencing customers during the day. 

"We needed to proceed with the repairs after the closure of business and we had to extend into late-night hours," a manager at the firm told the Nation.

Detectives also claimed that a fake gun was planted at the scene, which investigators suspect is the same gun Alike claimed the duo had on them.  

Police were also puzzled by the presence of the Nyeri County CIPU Commander, Alike, outside the bank at 8 pm, four hours after closure. 

Mwangi's family claimed that the police boss was framing their son for robbery with violence and attempted assault. They added that detectives were faking a bank heist, covering up the case and detaining the engineer illegally. 

Investigations into the matter are underway, with police set to arraign Mwangi in court to answer the charges fronted.  

A suspect in handcuffs
An undated illustration of a suspect in handcuffs
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