Police suspect he had accomplices in the area where he hid the guns used for terrorising residents and business owners. [Photo/ krmg.com]
A man said to be in the list of the most wanted criminals in Taita Taveta has been shot dead.
Jamal Juma, 30, was neutralised by police officers who raided his home at Soyosoyo, Timboni in Watamu on Saturday.At the time of his killing, it is said, he was planning to raid a local police station.Police said Jamal was a ring leader of several criminal gangs operating in Watamu and other areas in Taita Taveta County.Timboni Chief Benson Kazungu said the man was a known burglar in the area.He had been arrested several times in connection with house break-ins in Watamu Kazungu said.He said police who conducted the raid did not encounter resistance from the deceased despite reports that he owned an AK 47 rifle and a G3 gun.No weapon was recovered in his house during the raid.Police suspect he had accomplices in the area where he hid the guns used for terrorising residents and business owners.Kazungu linked M-Pesa shop raids in the area to the slain man.“There was no peace here because they (illegal gangs) would strike at any time,” he said.“This marks the beginning of the end of these gangs in Watamu. We will pursue the others and restore order so that people can freely live.”He said some members of the unlawful gangs were as young as 15. He called on youth to abandon criminal work before the long hand of the law reaches them.His body was taken to the Malindi District Hospital mortuary.