NAIROBI, Kenya- Detectives have shot dead a suspect believed to be behind the recent armed robbery at a popular restaurant in Nairobi’s Spring Valley area and recovered a Beretta pistol following a shootout in Joska, Machakos County.
In a statement on Monday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect was also believed to be part of a criminal gang linked to a string of violent robberies across Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos counties.
According to the DCI, detectives from the agency’s headquarters, working jointly with officers from DCI Matungulu, acted on intelligence that led them to a house in Joska Town where the suspect was reportedly hiding at his girlfriend’s residence.
The detectives said they identified themselves and ordered the occupants to open the door, but the suspect allegedly responded by firing at the officers through a kitchen window.
Police said the officers returned fire in self-defence before entering the house, where they found the suspect with fatal gunshot injuries.
During the operation, detectives recovered a Beretta pistol fitted with a magazine loaded with four rounds of 9mm ammunition, additional live rounds, spent cartridges and three mobile phones believed to be relevant to the investigation.
The DCI said preliminary investigations have linked the suspect to the recent daylight armed robbery along General Mathenge Road in Spring Valley, where a gang of armed men stormed a popular restaurant, terrorised diners and stole mobile phones and other valuables before escaping on motorcycles.
The recovered firearm has been handed over to the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory (NPSFL) for ballistic examination to establish whether it was used in other violent crimes.
Meanwhile, detectives have launched a manhunt for other members of the suspected criminal network who remain at large.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said investigations are ongoing and reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling organised criminal gangs involved in violent robberies across the country.