Shock as pregnant woman, boyfriend nabbed with gun in matatu – PHOTOS
A pregnant woman and her boyfriend were arrested with a pistol in a matatu in Nyeri town on Thursday morning as they attempted to flee as police unearthed a new trend of crime involving women.
The two, identified as Alex Mathenge and Vanessa Wambui alias Tisho, were nabbed in a Nanyuki-bound matatu by Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers.
A Ceska pistol with five rounds of ammunition recovered.
VIOLENT ROBBERIES
The duo has been linked to a series of violent robberies in the town. Sources in the police department said the two had already spent ten rounds of ammunition in various robberies in the last few weeks.
Police were acting on a tip-off from members of the public of a couple that was behaving suspiciously and undercover detectives were dispatched to trail the suspects who have been on the police watch list.
They were first spotted at the town’s lower matatu terminus where they tried to board a matatu but alighted when they spotted police officers in the area leaving part of their luggage behind.
Detectives caught up with them soon after they boarded the Nanyuki-bound matatu in another terminus on the other end of the town.
The couple, according to witnesses, seemed uneasy and had wrapped some clothes in a leso as if they were in a hurry.
“They picked the back seat then the woman sat on her handbag which is very unusual,” said Mr Martin Nzangi, a passenger who had boarded the matatu.
The male suspect is said to have alighted the vehicle several times to check the surroundings. Police officers then moved in and nabbed the suspects who had already been issued with travel tickets.
DREADED CRIMINAL
Police revealed that the woman is one of the most dreaded criminals in the town going by the name Wambui Tisho and that she could be one of many other women being used by criminal gangs in armed robberies.
“She does not appear to be a criminal but she is one of the most feared. There is a likelihood that many more women have been inducted into criminal gangs since physical appearance does not give away a criminal easily,” said Mr Masai Makau the area OCPD.
The couple has been involved in multiple robberies in the last three weeks in residential estates around Nyeri and Karatina towns.
The arrest came as police intensify security measures in attempt to root out crime in the area and some of the most wanted criminals.
“It is a successful day in the office but we are not done yet. We will deal with every criminal accordingly regardless of gender,” said the OCPD.