DCI explains drama surrounding mob attempts to block detectives from arresting suspect

Police Sunday explained circumstances surrounding an incident in which a mob blocked a team of detectives from arresting a suspect in a village in Kirinyaga County.

Drama broke out during the arrest of Jackline Gatwiri, a suspect linked to a robbery with violence and rape case, as a rowdy mob confronted police officers in Mwea East’s Kiamanyeki area.

According to police, the detectives who were travelling in a government vehicle, were surrounded by a crowd that threatened to set fire to the vehicle unless the suspect was released.

The officers had been deployed by the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer to pursue the runaway suspect named in an ongoing Criminal Case No. 278/33/2024 and Court File No. E381, who traced the suspect to the village and moved in swiftly to effect the arrest.

A rowdy mob, however, pooled forces and attacked the officers who were onboard a government vehicle registration no. KBZ 684Y, threatening to set it ablaze should they not release the suspect.

Thanks to a back up by the local police, area chief and Nyumba Kumi heads, who prevailed over the tense situation and facilitated the taking into custody of the dangerous suspect.

The officers were part of a coordinated mission led by Kirinyaga Central detectives and deployed by the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer to apprehend Gatwiri, who had been named in an ongoing criminal investigation.

The detectives tracked her down to Kiamanyeki village, where she was quickly arrested.

As the situation became more tense, local police, along with the area chief and Nyumba Kumi leaders, stepped in to help defuse the situation and ensure that the suspect was safely detained.

“The mob attacked the officers who were onboard a government vehicle (registration no. KBZ 684Y), threatening to set it ablaze unless the suspect was released,” the DCI said in a Sunday statement.

The DCI has issued a stern warning to the public, stressing that obstructing police officers while executing their duties is a serious criminal offense.

“The DCI cautions members of the public that obstructing police officers in the course of executing their constitutional mandate is a serious criminal offense, and any attempt to aid the escape of a criminal offender will be met with the full force of the law,” the statement added.

Cases of mob injustice have been on the rise in the country. This also comes in the wake of reports of increased incidents of abduction hence the action by the public.