Detectives from the serious crime unit apprehended three suspects in Kinango Kwale County after they were discovered in possession of a male Pangolin.
The three suspects, Pas Mwiti, Kabwere Tembe, and Salim Nduria, were apprehended by detectives after a tip-off from members of the public.
The DCI officers pretended to be well-dressed businessmen involved in the illegal trade of the world’s most endangered mammal.
In doing so, the sleuths enticed the sellers from their hiding place before leaping on them and rescuing the animal.
The arrest, however, was not without controversy, as two of the suspects attempted to free the animal and fled. This prompted the detectives to pursue the frightened animal and the two men.
Nonetheless, the duo and the animal were eventually restrained. The suspects are currently being interrogated at DCI headquarters in order to identify their financiers.
The endangered animal was turned over to KWS staff at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
Pangolin scales fetch a fortune on the black market because they are used for spiritual protection and financial rituals, making the nocturnal mammal one of the most trafficked animals in the world.
In Kenya, such an animal costs around Sh 4 million.