Residents of Kamae village in Lari constituency have applauded the police for their efforts in fighting cattle theft in the area.
The residents say that cases of cattle theft have gone down in the area thanks to intensive police patrols and surveillance.
Speaking to this Hivisasa writer at Kamae shopping center on Monday, the residents said that cattle thieves had been causing havoc in the area.
Joseph Mbugua, a resident said that cases of cows, sheep and goats being stolen by thieves had increased but that the police have been able to crackdown on the thieves.
“Police are doing a commendable job of hunting down and keeping cattle thieves at bay,” he said.
Mr. Mbugua alleged that armed criminals raid homes and steal cattle which they later slaughter at Kamae forest and sell to unsuspecting residents.
On Sunday night, a suspected cow thief was shot dead by police in Kamae in the village. The suspect was gunned down as he tried to escape after police ambushed him and four of his accomplices’ slaughtering a cow they had allegedly stolen.
According to the police, the suspect defied police orders to surrender and instead took off prompting the police to shoot him.
Confirming the incident, Lari Administration Police (AP) commander David Chemwetich said that the police were acting on a tip.
“We ambushed the suspects as they slaughtered the cow they had stolen from a villager in Kamae,” he said.
The AP commander said that two of the accomplices managed to escape adding that a manhunt has been launched for them. He warned that police will deal firmly with cattle thieves adding that residents should work closely with law enforcers.
Early last month police acting on a tip off arrested five suspected cattle thieves in neighboring Gathwariga village in Lari. The suspects were arrested by police after their attempts to steal cattle from a homestead in the village failed.