A man and his girlfriend are lucky to be alive after he managed to snatch a gun from three armed robbers who had accosted them.
A statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday, April 13, indicated that Simon Sanga, a Tanzanian national and his lover had gone out at 2:00am for a night of fun in Njiru, Nairobi county.
Unlucky for them, however, they found the joint closed which prompted Sanga to exit his car and knock on the door to ascertain that it was really closed.
While waiting at the door, the three robbers - who were armed with a homemade gun - accosted him and demanded that he hands his belongings over to them.
"As he was knocking, a motorbike carrying two pillion passengers suddenly screeched to a halt and one gun toting young man leaped from the bike training the firearm’s muzzle at Sanga, ready to pull the trigger at the slightest provocation.
"Sanga, hurriedly emptied his pockets and gave the thug his mobile phones, ATM cards, car keys and Ksh27,000 in cash," read the DCI statement in part.
The other two thugs were waiting for their colleague and ready to take off after committing the crime.
As the robber was heading back, Sanga managed to snatch the gun from him before opening fire at them as they attempted to flee.
"As fate would have it, their long wait was rewarded with the sound of gunfire as Sanga snatched the firearm from the thug who held it precariously since he was struggling to carry the four phones he had acquired, ATM cards and the Ksh27,000.
"Sanga, who had never come across a firearm, managed to squeeze one spirited shot at the thugs, as their bike vroomed onomatopoeically from the scene, leaving a thick cloud of dust," added the statement.
Detectives and police officers based at DCI Kayole Police Station visited the scene and recovered one spent cartridge of 9mm caliber and a jersey that Sanga had undressed the suspect as he took flight.
They also recovered the firearm from the victim and discovered that it was a homemade one capable of firing.
Police officers have launched a manhunt for the thugs.
