Two suspected gang members were on Thursday saved by police from an irate mob that was baying for their blood.
The two were in a group of three men who attacked a village elder at Majengo Mapya area in Likoni, Mombasa County.
Confirming the incident, Likoni Police Chief Willy Simba said the two suspects are in police custody but one managed to escape.
Mr Simba said the suspects are nursing serious injuries after they were attacked by an angry mob.
According to Mr Simba, police officers were forced to shoot in the air to disperse the angry crowd.
“The suspects who sustained serious injuries were taken to Likoni District Hospital for treatment before being locked up at Likoni Police Station. They are in stable condition and we call on members of the public to volunteer information that will help us arrest the third gang members,” said the police boss.
Mr Hamisi Hassan, a village elder in Sashaman, Majngo Mapya area, said the three suspects who were armed with pangas, machetes and knives, attacked a fellow village elder, claiming he was an informer to security agents.
Mr Hassan said the two suspects escaped death narrowly after being rescued by the police from the angry residents.
“The suspects were armed when they attacked the village elder. They beat him mercilessly but we managed to catch up with the two when they tried to escape,” said Mr Hassan.