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Courageous supermarket owner fights off robbers who held customers hostage – PHOTOS


Police have launched a manhunt for five armed robbers who held customers hostage at a supermarket in Sibanga area, Trans Nzoia county on Tuesday night.

The thugs stole over Sh500 000 during the 7pm robbery at Muyahudi Supermarket.

Forty two year-old Gerald Njoroge Ndirangu, the owner of the supermarket, said he was ambushed by the robbers while inspecting goods delivered at the supermarket.

“I was in the process of ensuring that goods are in order when a man in a leather jacket removed a gun and pointed it at me while others commanded customers to lie on the floor,” Ndirangu told journalists.

PHOTO | GERALD BWISA
PHOTO | GERALD BWISA

DODGED A BULLET

He narrated how he dodged a bullet by a whisker.

“That moment I was confused and what I did is to ran towards the building store when a bullet grazed my head before I fell on the customers who were lying on the floor,” he said.

In that confusion, courageous Ndirangu ran towards the gunman and grabbed him by the shoulder while pushing him outside the supermarket before falling while raising an alarm.

As that was happening, the other four robbers were busy collecting money from the customers and cashiers before taking off.

The robbers had earlier destroyed a nearby transformer by shooting at it, causing a blackout.

PHOTO | GERALD BWISA
PHOTO | GERALD BWISA

BROTHER ROBBED

The incident happened just six days after another supermarket belonging to Ndirangu’s brother, Elijah Mwega was robbed.

 

Trans Nzoia East police boss Abel Ogul confirmed the incident and said that there was no need for panic since they were closing in on the suspects.

“The situation is under control since we are closing in on the suspects and very soon we will apprehend them and charge them with accordance with the law,” he told the Nation.