- Zainab said the prosecution's application to detain the five was merited owing that a lot of money was stolen.
- The suspects have been remanded at Capitol Hill Police Station.
Image: FILE
Five suspects linked to theft of Sh94.9 million belonging to Quickmart Supermarket have been detained for 10 days pending investigations.
Milimani principal magistrate Zainab Abdul granted police 10 days instead of 21 days as sought.
She said the prosecution's application to detain the five was merited owing that a lot of money was stolen.
The suspects have been remanded at Capitol Hill Police Station.
In an affidavit filed by inspector Michael Kimilu, he said he is investigating criminal offence of conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to section 393 of the penal code.
Kimilu said a report by complainant George Jaramba on behalf of Wells Fargo Limited was reported to vide Akila police station OB No 22/06/11/2023.
Investigation commenced and established that the cash amounting to Sh94 million belonging to Quickmart which was in transit to a local bank was stolen by known employees of Wells Fargo.
Kimilu said the suspects committed the offence in collaboration with unknown others moments after the cash-in-transit vehicle had departed from Fargo house in South C at about 0714hrs.
"Upon receipt of the incident report, investigation team proceeded to the crime scene along Southern bypass in South C area where a motor vehicle was found abandoned with its engine running," the court documents read.
The court further heard that the scene was processed and the motor vehicle searched whereby it was noted that the consignment of cash which had been stashed in three blue metallic boxes was missing.
He said Wells Fargo crew commander Daniel Mugetha and driver Antony Ndiuki were missing and their mobile phone numbers switched off.
"Analysis was conducted and a motor vehicle Fielder white in colour was spotted trailing the said Wells Fargo van and later made away with the consignment in 3 blue boxes," he said.
He added that both day and night search operations were activated by the investigation team leading to the arrest of a man who was the owner of the vehicle in Ongata Rongai on November 10, 2023.
Investigations traced the said motor vehicle to Njiru Chokaa area along Kangundo road where the same was found undergoing modifications.
The officer said the investigation intensified its operational leads upon interrogation of two suspects and eventually traced and apprehended another one on November 11, 2023.
A search at the man's rented premises located at Kasarani led to the recovery of Sh9,101,300.
A separate operation mounted with the leads obtained from Gitonga led to the arrest of another suspect on November 12, 2023 and whom the investigation has been established to be an employee of Wells Fargo Limited.
"The investigation is determined to trace, apprehend and recover the cash of about Sh85 million still at large with the runaway suspects well known to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents," the officer told the court.
He said the suspects are connected to other suspects involved in the commission of the offence and who are still at large and in hiding upon getting wind of respondents' arrest and therefore release of the respondents at this stage of the investigation, will jeopardize the intended gains.
The court was also told that the suspects are a flight risk having been on the run since November 6 till their respective arrests.
He said the respondents stole a lot of money much of which is still at their disposal and they can use the same even to abscond the country as the investigators have intelligence that they were planning to leave the country soon before their arrest.
He added that the suspect's trace and arrest was met with a lot of difficulties as they were in hiding having known they were being pursued by the investigation team.
The remaining amount yet to be recovered is large and thus the release of the respondents at this juncture is likely to jeopardize the recovery, he said.
He requested the court to grant him the days saying the mobile phones recovered from the respondents are yet to be forwarded to cybercrime for analysis for any further leads of the conspiracy matrix and trace of the stolen cash.
"Owing to the short time that the investigation apprehended the respondents, their known and related residences are yet to be searched for any further recovery of the remaining amount", Kimilu said.
The suspects, however, opposed to the detention saying they are still innocent at this stage. They prayed to be released on bail pending investigations.