The Ethics and Anticorruption Commission has arrested two police officers over alleged Sh300,000 extortion bid.
The two are said to have been busted on Thursday evening after they confiscated a stock of goods worth Sh300,000 from a businessman.
Their arrest followed a complaint by the businessman said to be operating a mobile phone shop.
EACC said the suspects visited the complainant’s shop and confiscated a stock of mobile phones without any justifiable cause.
“Subsequently, the officers demanded a bribe of Sh100,000 from the complainant to return the confiscated stock prompting the trader to seek help from the Commission,” EACC said.
Upon verification of the allegations, the detectives mounted an operation leading to the arrest of the two police officers while allegedly receiving the demanded bribe.
EACC spokesperson Eric Ngumbi who confirmed the arrest said the Commission is increasingly receiving such reports of outright extortion.
“The emerging trend shows that in most cases, it is no longer bribery to forbear law enforcement action, but pure extortion of money from citizens who are not facing any legitimate accusation of violating the law,” Ngumbi said.
According to official, the only way to mitigate this and alleviate the pain visited upon citizens by such incidents is for the police commanders to take up the responsibility of ensuring that officers under their command refrain from such acts which he terms as not only criminal but also immoral.
The arrest comes only two weeks after some four traffic officers were also nabbed while allegedly collecting bribes at a roadblock along the Thika -Garissa Highway.
