Residents of Lari, Kiambu County are living in fear of being attacked day and night by a gang that recently emerged famously known as "Ganja gang".
According to Timothy Kimani a shopkeeper in Lari, the gang operates during the day and also at night demanding for Sh100 per shop. They threaten to attack shopkeepers who do not pay at night.
He said that this has been happening for the past three weeks now.
Kimani also revealed that the gang walks in groups of six in every shop with members wearing black jackets and caps to hide their identity. He said that most of them are between the ages of 19 and 24 years.
"We are living in fear as the group has now taken over. Last week on Thursday, my neighbouring shopkeeper was attacked during the night after refusing to cooperate during the day. He was seriously cut with pangas and he is at Kiambaa Hospital. They robbed all his money and raped his wife and daughter," said Kimani.
He said despite alerting the police, little has been done because they still see the gang walking around the area. Gloria Wangeci a resident in Lari said that she heard of the gang two weeks ago but never thought it would instil fear among them. She described the gang as a threat as they walk confidently during the day and night demanding for money in different houses.
According to Wangeci, the gang consists of over 100 young people who seem to be very intelligent in conducting the crime. She said females were at risk especially children as such criminals take advantage and rape them.
However, Lari OCS Chief Inspector Peter Ouko while speaking in his office on Monday, said that police had identified the gang members after several reports from area locals.
He said that 16 suspects were arrested during the weekend and helped in investigations. The OCS said that the gang consists of young people who have dreadlocks that is their identity. He confirmed that they are dubbed "Ganja" and they live in the outskirts of Lari.
"The gang is not new as it was started in Kiambaa and terrorised residents in the region early this year. They are recruiting members to make the gang a major threat in most of the parts of the region. However we are working with other officers in Kiambu to fight the menace of the gangs. Police patrols have been increased throughout and we assure residents that the gang will soon be a thing of the past," said Ouko.
He however cautioned parents to be on the look out to ensure their teenagers are not recruited to the gang.