A car was yesterday razed by irate residents of Greensteds area in Nakuru after it was found transporting meat suspected to have been slaughtered from two dairy cows stolen from the area.
Confirming the incident Gilgil sub-county Deputy County Commissioner (DCC), Ndambuki Mutheki said police officers got a tip off from a resident who informed them of a vehicle transporting meat that was stuck in mud.
“The officers acted swiftly but the suspects managed to escape into a maize plantation leaving behind the vehicle, the officers pursued them but they were not successful,” said Ndambuki.
The officers at the scene who were guarding the motor vehicle were overpowered by the irate residents who burned the vehicle and accused police officers of laxity in fighting crime in the area.
Ndambuki noted that they have arrested two suspects who are said to be butchery owners from Nakuru.
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“We are holding them as we continue with investigations. We have taken the number plate of the car we will trace the owner. We have received several complaints of cows being stolen, slaughtered and transported. This seems to be a gang of criminals,” said Ndambuki.
Joseph Kitaka the owner of the slaughtered cows, said the suspects broke into their cattle pen at around midnight and drove away the cows.
“They came around midnight, they felled the fence, we heard some noise from the cattle pen but we couldn’t respond because we feared for our lives”, said Kitaka.
The criminals took the cattle to one edge of the 13 acre farm before slaughtering them
The residents says such heinous incidents have been a common phenomenon in recent weeks and wonders how the cartel is always out smarting police officers in the area.
Samuel Ole Nguruna said the have lost over 35 cows to notorious criminals in the last one month.
On Thursday last week three dairy cows were stolen and slaughtered at Kasambara village within the same ward
Two weeks ago six cows that were stolen and later found slaughtered at Barnabas area at the outskirts of Nakuru town.