Taita Taveta: Three suspected highway robbers to remain in custody pending probe

Three suspects linked to a string of robberies along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway will remain in custody as investigations continue.

David Karanja, Juma Jumamosi, and Josephine Mutie were arrested following an April 9 incident where a truck ferrying gypsum from Nairobi to Mombasa was robbed in the Ikanga area of Taita-Taveta County.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), one of the suspects dashed out from a nearby thicket, attempting to cross the road, forcing the driver to swerve. The truck veered off the road and its engine stalled.

“A group of about five emerged from the bushes, forcefully entering the vehicle with one brandishing a pistol. The driver and his co-driver were handcuffed and bundled behind the seats,” the investigative agency said.

“One of the robbers took the wheel, steering the lorry towards Mombasa. The two victims were unceremoniously dropped off about 300 meters away as the criminals vanished with the truck.”

Karanja and Jumamosi were trailed and arrested at a hideout in Taveta, DCI said, adding that they recovered a number plate belonging to the stolen lorry, a screwdriver, and two spanners at the latter’s house.

The duo was arraigned before a Voi court on May 19 and given a 14-day custodial order to further their investigation.

Meanwhile, Nthamba was apprehended in Makindu on June 2 and arraigned, where detectives received an additional 14-day custodial order to complete their investigation and pursue further leads to arrest additional suspects involved in these highway robberies, as well as to recover the stolen lorry.