Bodies of the five suspected thugs have been taken to Nairobi’s City Mortuary. (capitalfm.co.ke)
Police in Nairobi on Wednesday shot dead five suspected thugs in Ngara Estate as they attempted to raid an M-PESA shop.
The officers from Central Police Station along University Way received a tip-off of the impending raid and took cover at a nearby hotel.
The five suspects walked towards the M-PESA shop before one pulled out a pistol from his pocket and directed at the shop attendant with little knowledge police officers had been deployed at the area.
The police officers pulled the trigger killing the five on the spot.
Interestingly the shop attendant, as the police and the suspected robbers briefly exchanged fire, ran away through the rear door of the shop.
Police who briefed the media said the shop attendant who was hired by the owner of the business one month ago has switched off his phone and had vanished with the Sh200,000 the proprietor of the shop delivered in the morning.
Bodies of the five suspected thugs have been taken to Nairobi’s City Mortuary.
Residents said the thugs may have wanted to capitalize on the confusion that comes with Christmas festivities to steal from business owners.
Ngara is near Nairobi’s CBD and is among suburbs in the city that frequently suffers burglary and robbery incidents.
Nairobi Police boss Japheth Koome said police officers have launched investigations into the incident. He said police are also in pursuit of the shop attendant who ran away.
The incident happened at mid-day.
The incident happened about two months after three gangsters involved in the murder of two police officers in Kayole were shot dead in Kenol area, within Muranga County.