Seven gangsters whom police have described as notorious and dangerous

The criminals were gunned down today in Kirinyaga district.

Acting on a tip off, police gunned down the suspects at Murubara and Makutano area of Mwea constituency, and recovered two AK47 rifles and over 20 rounds of ammunition.

Briefing the press at the scene, Deputy Provincial Police Officer (PPO) Gideon Amala said that police had received a tip off from members of public that seven gangsters coming from Makuyu were planning to carry series of robberies at Wanguru market in the morning.

Accordingly on the lookout, Mr Amala said officer on patrol at around 9 am noticed a suspicious saloon vehicle, and began trailing it immediately, with an unmarked vehicle. After trailing them for awhile, the officers pulled over the car, asking the occupants to surrender. Defying the order, a suspect opened fire on the officers, igniting a fierce gun battle, during which police managed to kill all of the suspects. They then recovered the vehicle, which was stolen property, and carrying a fake number plate. The officers also recovered assorted numbers plates and personal identification papers from some of the suspects, as well as a number of assorted ATM cards.

The PPO said that among those killed, four were well-known criminals who have been on the list of the police's most wanted criminals in the province. He added that two of the suspects hailed from Nyeri, one from Nanyuki, one from Maragua and two from Nairobi. One suspect had no identification papers whatsoever, and police have had to take his fingerprints in order to try to identify him.

Mr Amala thanked the public for their tips, and urged them to continue volunteering information to police in the future.