In a series of sweeping operations, police have apprehended two men believed to be the masterminds behind a string of robberies targeting female students at Laikipia University’s main campus.
The arrests come as part of a broader crackdown on crime, including separate investigations into widespread SIM card fraud and impersonation scams across the country.
The two suspects, Dennis Kariuki Mbugua and Peter Omuzee Obungo, were arrested following numerous reports lodged by students at Losogwa Police Station in Nyahururu Sub-County.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the students had been ambushed, assaulted, and stripped of their belongings in a series of brazen attacks.
After an extensive investigation, police tracked down the pair in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, where they were apprehended. A mobile phone, reported stolen by one of the victims, was recovered during the arrest.
“Following a meticulous investigation, the detectives tracked down and apprehended the two prime suspects in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru. During the arrest, a mobile phone stolen from one of the victims was recovered,” the DCI said in a statement on Friday, October 18, 2024.
Mbugua and Obungo have since been transferred to DCI Nyahururu for formal processing and are expected to be arraigned soon.
Police anti-fraud operations
The arrests of the two robbery suspects coincided with a significant anti-fraud operation by police targeting SIM card fraud and impersonation schemes in Kiambu, Nakuru, and Makueni counties.
One of the key arrests involved Daniel Wangombe Ndungu, who is believed to be at the centre of a phone impersonation and fraudulent SIM card registration network.
Acting on a tip, detectives from the DCI’s headquarters and Nairobi Region arrested Ndungu in the Membely area of Ruiru, Kiambu County.
“Following on tips, the detectives executed an operation in the Ruiru Membely area, successfully intercepting the suspect who was behind the wheel of a motor vehicle KBP 731D Nissan Saloon. Upon searching the vehicle, the detectives recovered 6 Safaricom SIM cards, 7 Airtel SIM cards, 2 Telkom SIM cards, and assorted mobile phones,” the DCI confirmed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Meanwhile, in Nakuru County, another group of police detectives apprehended three suspects involved in an elaborate scam, where fraudsters impersonated Simba Cement employees and enticed customers with the promise of discounted cement.
The arrests were made following investigations into a series of fraudulent transactions that had left unsuspecting customers out of pocket.
In a separate case in Masimba, Makueni County, two men were arrested by police for defrauding unemployed teachers by pretending to be senior officials from the Ministry of Education.
The two suspects, identified as Moses Murungi George and Joseph Baariu Imiemba, both have long criminal histories, with previous convictions for murder and robbery with violence, respectively.
“Moses Murungi George, a figure with a dark past; had previously been convicted of murder at the Meru High Court in 2000 and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, in a turn of fate, he was released in 2018 by the Court of Appeal,” the DCI disclosed in a statement.
Imiemba, his co-accused, had been convicted of robbery with violence in 2002 and sentenced to death before successfully appealing for release in 2019.
Six mobile phones paired with Airtel and Safaricom SIM cards were recovered from the suspects, with evidence suggesting they had used the numbers to carry out their fraudulent schemes.
A vehicle was also impounded as part of the investigation.
As these suspects await legal proceedings, police continue to investigate their operations, seeking any additional accomplices involved in these wide-ranging criminal enterprises.