Police officers in Nakuru on Wednesday, August 3, arrested a man believed to be the leader of the 'Confirm Gang', a vicious group that has been terrorizing residents in the county.
The man identified as Dickson Macharia Waithera alias 'Deco' was arrested on the morning of Wednesday, August 3, after a sting operation coordinated by area security agents.
Nakuru County Commander Peter Mwanzo stated that the suspect was nabbed following a tip-off from the public.
"He is assisting, he is cooperating now. Following the death of the elder member of the royal family called ‘Biggie’ then of course his brother Deco took over the reins.
He equally continued with the operations which have been very difficult to reach him, but fortunately last night we were able to arrest him,” stated Mwanzo.
During the arrest, sleuths also recovered a laptop and assorted drugs, including heroin and bhang.
The suspect was the mastermind behind the gang that carried out heinous robberies and murders in the county.
In June, the gang is believed to have carried out a spate of attacks that left five women dead prompting the Ministry of Interior to launch a crackdown to flush out the criminals.
On June 24, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, DCI, arrested at least 27 suspected members of the gang in what was seen as a breakthrough containing the situation that was quickly getting out of hand.
Interior Cabinet Secretary had, in response, announced the transfer of security chiefs. The reshuffle saw former Kasarani Officer Commanding Police Division-OCPD Peter Mwanzo to Nakuru as the county commander.
In recent days, Mwanzo has been leading crackdown targeting the gang's members, putting financiers and sympathizers on notice.
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Mohamed had announced the formation of a special police squad to smoke out suspected gang members in June.
The squad named Ati- Confirm worked toward dismantling the ring comprising unemployed youths from the suburbs of Nakuru.
The affected areas included Kaptembwa, Flamingo, Kaloleni and Lake View.
