The main suspect in the case of blogger Bruce Khajira‘s case has been charged in a Mombasa court.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed that the suspect, Omar Ali Mohamed, was charged with abduction, gang rape and conspiracy to commit a felony.
“Following the arrest and subsequent arraignment of Omar Ali Mohamed at Shanzu Law Courts where four charges (including abduction, gang rape and conspiracy to commit a felony) were preferred yesterday,” DCI stated.
According to the crime busters, the suspect was a wanted person by DCI Jomvu in a separate case of torture, following his identification by four victims of his atrocities, who had on August 15, 2024, reported their ordeals at Mikindani Police Station.
“In the booked report, the suspect while in the company of others purported to be enforcing the County Government of Mombasa bylaws, thereby torturing and physically assaulting the complainants at the Mombasa County Inspectorate offices located in Tudor,” DCI added.
“Following an order to produce issued by Mombasa Law Courts, Omar Ali Mohamed alias Nyanya was today arraigned at the court to answer to charges of Torture contrary to Section 5 (1) of the Prevention of Torture Act No. 12 of 2017, where he took a plea of not guilty and was granted a Sh500,000 bond or a cash bail of Sh200,000.”
The suspect was taken back to remand where he awaits the determination of his bond application on blogger Bruce Khajira’s case on Friday, November 15, 2024.
“The presiding magistrate scheduled the ruling for that date after the prosecution submitted that Omar was a flight risk and capable of interfering with the ongoing investigations. Investigations into both cases in which Omar Ali is implicated are at advanced stages, and more of his accomplices are being pursued,” DCI added.
Suspect arrested
Mohamed was arrested on November 7, 2024, in connection with the abduction and subsequent sexual harassment of blogger Bruce John Khajira aka Chawa – 001 on September 12, 2024.
According to the DCI, the suspect was arrested at the Lunga Lunga border while trying to flee to Tanzania.
“Omar Ali has been on the run since the commission of the diabolical act, and his arrest is a culmination of days and nights of vigilance by duty-bound detectives working jointly with the Immigration Department, who were privy to the plans by the masterminds to sneak out of the country all those implicated in the perversion,” DCI stated after his arrest.
“In the painstaking investigation conducted by a select team of DCI Hqs detectives, Omar Ali was forensically placed at both the primary and secondary scenes of the incident, besides being in constant communication with other known perpetrators before, during and after the incident. Notably, detectives at the Digital Forensics Lab identified the motor vehicle make Nissan Note grey in colour and registration number KDQ 394C, in which the victim was bundled from his house to the scene.”
The vehicle, according to the police, had been hired by Mohamed on August 20, 2024, and returned on September 12, 2024, in the evening.
“The car has since been intercepted and detained. Crime researchers were also able to forensically place the said car at the primary scene (where the victim was sexually assaulted) at a County Government of Mombasa construction site within Bonje Area for about 2 hours, before revving to Mwakirunge area where the victim was dumped,” the police stated.
Police say they have identified several accomplices who are holing up in various parts of the country.