Nairobi — Police in Nairobi have arrested a suspected gangster believed to be behind the cold-blooded murder of a Greek National on October 15 this year.
Police say Peter Waithaka, 33, believed to be the head of a gang behind the daylight armed robberies in Kilimani and its environs, was arrested Sunday evening at Makongeni in Nairobi's Eastlands area.
"His arrest followed a 48-hour well-calculated operation conducted by the Kilimani-based sleuths, who used bait to trap the serial killer who has previously served 6 years behind bars for a similar offence," the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Sunday.
The suspect who was released recently from prison took detectives to his house in Wangige, Kiambu county, where crucial exhibits related to the robbery incidents were recovered and documented.
In the October incident, the suspect together with two accomplices on a numberless motorbike accosted the Greek national, Alex Marcopaulo, at the Menellik /Ngong road junction and violently took away a rucksack that he was carrying before one of them then whipped out a pistol and shot the victim once on the right side of the chest, before taking off on a motorbike.
According to the DCI, efforts by doctors at the Nairobi Women's hospital to save the victim's life were fruitless as he later succumbed to the gunshot injury.
In a separate incident on September 29, the armed thugs had accosted four Dutch tourists outside Silver Harbour apartment along Kindaruma road and violently robbed them of their mobile phones, cash, and pieces of jewelry before escaping towards Ngong road on a motorbike, whose plate numbers were concealed.
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The DCI stated the thugs fired two shots in the air as they made their escape to scare off members of the public who had responded to the distress call by the besieged tourists.
"The Dutch tourists were waiting to board a tour van to Nairobi National Park when the thugs stuck in the 8 am incident. Since then, detectives have been burning the midnight candle to unmask the identity of the miscreant gang and bring all of them to book," the agency said.
Earlier, the Kilimani-based sleuths had arrested one of Waithaka's accomplices identified as Stephen Elavuna, 38, whose case is pending before the Chief Magistrate's court in Kibera.
An operation to arrest the remaining suspects is currently ongoing, as the detectives follow crucial leads on their whereabouts.
"We thank the DCI Kilimani command and all the other officers involved for the well-executed operation leading to the arrest of the dangerous jailbird. Should you have any information that you would wish to share with us anonymously please dial 0800722203," said the DCI.
