Police in Nyeri are holding a notorious robbery suspect after laying an elaborate trap to nab him moments after he survived a mob lynch.
Nyeri Police Commander, Paul Kuria, told the press on Friday, August 13, that the suspect was nabbed following a series of robberies in Nyeri town and its environs.
The suspect was flushed out of his hideout in Ngangarithi on the outskirts of Nyeri town.
The plan to capture the suspect was intensified after he, and three other accomplices, broke into a woman's house in the locality and made away with a television set.
Angry members of the public pounced on the suspected robbers beating two to death.
"They were threatening people and then robbing them of their household goods, especially electronics. Today, we have been able to corner him and recover most of the properties stolen from several houses and the owners have positively identified their items," Kuria told the press.
"We actually started tracking the robbers yesterday (Thursday) when we had a house break-in within Kagayu in Ruringo. There were four guys in a vehicle. They broke into a house of a lady who was away attending a funeral and made away with a TV set," stated the officer.
He noted that the property, which was found in the suspect's house, was worth thousands of shillings. He further confirmed the killing of two suspects by members of the public.
"Fortunately, they were cornered, two of them were subjected to mob justice by members of the public and succumbed to their injuries and two ran away. We were able to pursue them and after interrogations, he led us to his house where we recovered the items. This is a breakthrough because we shall be taking them to court," added the officer.
Police have intensified manhunt for the fourth suspect who managed to escape even as they process the one in custody for arraignment.
The suspect was reportedly picked alongside his wife.
This comes even as crimes across the country continue to rise due to the negative effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the economy.
It is estimated that nearly five million people lost their source of livelihoods by the end of 2020 when the pandemic reached its peak.
