Residents of Lolgorian in Trans Mara West killed four suspected cattle rustlers at Endonyo Nasipa near the Maasai Mara Game Reserve yesterday.

The four heavily armed raiders, suspected to be from Kuria East, raided Partikila village at Kawai near the Maasai Mara and stole eight cows which they drove towards the Siria escarpment.

A team of rangers from the Mara Conservancy led by warden John Ole Tunai joined hands with the locals in pursuing the raiders who had taken cover at the Maasai Mara using sniffer dogs and flushed them out.

Tunai said the mob, which included morans armed with machetes, spears and swords, ambushed the raiders and killed them as they tried to cross over to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

"It took the members of the community and the rangers six hours to trace the raiders and when we found them the angry locals turned on them with all weapons at their disposal killing them before they could escape," said Tunai.

Trans Mara police boss Johnston Ipara said his officers took the bodies to the Kisii Level Five Hospital mortuary for preservation awaiting identification and burial.

"I would like to appeal to members of the public not to take the law into their own hands but arrest the culprits whom they should then hand over to the police who will take them to court to face charges over crimes they have committed," he said.