Two suspects who were captured on CCTV vandalizing the Standard Gauge Railway Transformers are on the run, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Detectives manning the SGR system remotely reportedly received a signal which led to the discovery of the duo who using spanners to vandalize a key power supply unit in Makindu.
The thugs allegedly took off to the nearby thickets after spotting the beaming lights from the police car dispatched to arrest them.
“Unbeknownst to the thugs, the transformers fitted with a round-the-clock surveillance system had already sent their images to our command centre. ” the DCI said.
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The officers are now profiling the suspects to aid in their arrest.
Vandalizing or tampering the critical national infrastructure attracts charges related to Economic Sabotage and Terrorism.
Last month, operations at the SGR were disrupted after a scrap metal dealer was found to be vandalizing the railway gauges blocks.
“Disappearance of the critical blocks led to the stoppage of operations along the busy railway line for two hours, as railway engineers and security officers inspected the extent of the damage caused to the critical national transport infrastructure,” DCI said in a statement.
Michael Mbevi was arrested at scrap metal store in Kinyambu, Mtito-Andei, as he loaded the gauge blocks into a lorry destined for the lucrative scrap metal market. The lorry driver was also arrested.
“The greed by scrap metal dealers to make quick profits through sale of the gauge blocks which ensure that the width of the railway line is maintained, could have led to devastating consequences including the derailment of a train.”
Consequently, DCI boss George Kinoti said the suspects will face economic sabotage and terrorism-related charges.
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