Detectives have arrested 15 suspected members of a criminal gang in Kisumu County following a coordinated operation that recovered crude weapons from vehicles they were travelling in.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the operation was mounted after receiving intelligence that a group of people suspected to be armed with crude weapons was travelling in three vehicles along the Kisumu–Kericho highway.
“Acting swiftly on the information, detectives from the DCI Operations Support Unit (OSU), working alongside officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), Nyanza Region, and DCI Kisumu Central, moved in and intercepted the vehicles,” the DCI said.
The suspects were intercepted aboard a grey Toyota Noah, and two white Toyota Hiace vans.
The two vans were operating under a sacco for matatus plying the Kisumu–Migori route.
Detectives searched the vehicles and the suspects before recovering several mobile phones and an assortment of crude weapons.
The recovered items included machetes and pangas, knives, ropes, a metal rod or club and other items that detectives suspect may have been intended for criminal activities.
The DCI said one of the suspects, believed to have been leading the group, managed to escape during the operation.
“One suspect believed to have been leading the group, made a daring escape by jumping through a vehicle window,” the agency said.
The 15 suspects were taken into custody alongside the recovered exhibits and are undergoing processing pending arraignment.
Detectives have also launched a manhunt for suspect who fled as investigations into the suspected criminal network continue.
“Meanwhile, detectives are hot on the trail of the suspected gang leader, who managed to escape,” the DCI said.
The arrests come as security agencies intensify efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks before they carry out attacks.
The DCI said the operation demonstrated the importance of intelligence-led policing in preventing crime and removing dangerous weapons from circulation.
“This operation underscores the resolve of the National Police Service to disrupt criminal networks before they can strike, keeping dangerous individuals and weapons off the streets and safeguarding innocent members of the public,” the agency said.
The suspects are expected to face charges after investigators complete processing and present the case before court.
