Three killed after mob justice following robbery in Kisumu
FILE IMAGE OF A POLICE LINE
Three men died after they were subjected to mob justice following a robbery incident in Ombeyi, Kisumu County, on Friday.
The incident occurred at around 3pm in Wanjare Village, Obumba Sub-Location, within Ombeyi Location, as a group accompanying the body of a man identified as Hussein Ramadhan alias Bolt from the Kisumu County Referral Hospital Teaching and Referral Hospital (KCRTH) mortuary to his home in Kasese.
According to police, the group turned unruly upon reaching Chiga Centre and allegedly began robbing members of the public, prompting officers from Chiga Police Station to intervene.
The body was eventually escorted safely to its destination.
However, another group reportedly moved towards Ombeyi Centre and allegedly began stealing mobile phones from members of the public along the way.
Members of the public responded by chasing the suspects in different directions before reportedly subjecting some of them to mob justice.
Police officers from Miwani Police Station rushed to the scene and found five men being attacked by members of the public.
The five were rescued and taken to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), where three male victims were pronounced dead on arrival.
The bodies, whose identities had not been established, were moved to the hospital mortuary pending identification and post-mortem examinations.
Police investigations into the robbery allegations and subsequent deaths are ongoing.
Police discourage mob lynching and want suspects to be surrendered to authorities for processing.
Dozens of suspects are lynched in incidents annually in a worrying trend, police statistics show.
