- One of the individuals brandished what appeared to be a pistol and aimed it at the officers, while others were armed with crude weapons.
- In response, the officers opened fire and the assailants fled into the nearby bushy area.
Image: The Star
A suspected thug was shot and killed in a botched robbery incident in Athi River, Machakos County.
The drama happened when an unmarked police car confronted a gang that had erected an illegal roadblock along Total Suraya Murrum road.
The group had on Monday at around 3 am blocked the road using stones and was busy robbing the users.
Police said the officers were flagged down by a group of around 10 young men who ordered the officers to surrender everything.
One of the individuals brandished what appeared to be a pistol and aimed it at the officers, while others were armed with crude weapons.
In response, the officers opened fire and the assailants fled into the nearby bushy area.
Upon investigating the scene, the officers said they found the body of a man aged about 30 lying in the bush.
The team said they recovered a toy pistol and various crude weapons, including two pangas, a rungu and a bow and arrow, scattered in the vicinity.
It is suspected that some of the assailants may have escaped with injuries, police said.
Police said they had learned a number of motorists using the route had been robbed of cash and valuables by the gang.
The body was moved to the Shalom Community Hospital Mortuary for identification and postmortem examination.
Cases of robberies have been on the rise in the area amid police operations to address the trend.
Elsewhere in Mowlem area, Dandora, a suspected thief was lynched by a mob in a botched robbery.
The incident happened in Lost City estate, police said.
The suspect is said to have tried to snatch a mobile phone from a female pedestrian when an alarm was raised.
This raised the attention of locals who chased and stoned him to death.
Police said the suspect is aged about 19 years.
The body with multiple injuries was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and further investigations.
Police discourage mob lynching and term it illegal and criminal.
They want suspects arrested to be surrendered to authorities for action.
Cases of mob lynching have been on the rise in parts of the country in a worrying trend.