Detectives in Kibwezi have recovered 418 bags of rice out of the 522 that were Wednesday night stolen while en route to Nairobi from Mombasa.
According to a statement from the Director of Criminal Investigations – DCI, the transporting lorry was intercepted and commandeered by a five-man gang at Thange area.
“In the 2.30am incident, the 46-year-old driver of the Isuzu FRR lorry had slowed down at a bumpy section behind another slow-moving trailer when the gang suddenly emerged and managed to gain entry into the driver’s cabin.” Read the statement.
The DCI statement noted that after inspecting to see what he was ferrying, the men assaulted him before tying him up with ropes and throwing him out as they drove off the highway.
A motorcyclist, a member of the local community, who found the driver helplessly shivering in the cold, gave him a ride to the Machinery Police Post.
“This act of support and solidarity, where the driver reported his ordeal and the theft of 522 bags, each containing 25kg of rice, is a testament to the strength of our community policing.” Said the statement.
The highway robbery was circulated across all police networks between Nairobi and Mombasa, where the Director of Operations at DCI Headquaters and his RCIO Coast counterpart mobilized Kibwezi teams in the pursuit, working with crucial leads obtained from tip-offs.
The efforts finally paid off when the lorry minus 106 bags was found abandoned near Manyanga shopping centre.
The same was driven to Kibwezi Police Station as pursuit for the suspects continue.
