Counties

177 Suspected Criminal Gang Members Arrested In Mombasa

April 25, 2024

Detectives in Mombasa arrested 177 suspects on Wednesday, alleging they were members of a gang that was systematically terrorising the region and causing residents to sleepless nights.

The suspects were apprehended on Wednesday night after a multi-agency operation led by Mombasa County Commissioner Mohammed Noor.

While confirming the arrests, Noor stated that the government is working to intensify the operations, which will take place throughout the county, including parts of Kisauni, Jomvu, Likoni, and Mvita.

To combat the area’s rising crime rates, the county commissioner ordered an immediate halt to the distribution of relief food.

According to him, most of the suspects abuse relief food distribution to rob the public.

During the operation, a number of items were recovered including several knives and sacks of bhang.

“As of yesterday night, we had arrested about 177 suspects, 27 suspects of whom were arrested in the Kisauni area,” the county commissioner stated.

“We also managed to recover bhang. The operation will continue until the county is safe,” Noor added.

The arrests come two days after CCTV footage showed several young men swindling a pedestrian outside a supermarket on Haile Selassie Avenue in Mombasa.

In a well-planned move, a gang of about 20 young men was caught rushing towards a resident who was returning home from a nearby outlet.

Despite public efforts to save the man, the gang was able to steal all of his belongings, causing residents to be concerned.

Following the tragic incident, police officers in the Coastal region immediately launched an operation to locate the suspected gang members.