Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Meru, working jointly with officers from the Kenya Police Service (KPS) and the Administration Police Service (APS), have arrested a 47-year-old ex-convict in connection with a series of violent robberies in the Igembe region.
In a statement, DCI said the suspect, identified as Jason Kobia Mucoka, has been terrorising residents of Mutuati, Laare, Maua, and the wider Igembe area shortly after his release from prison, where he had served a 15-year sentence for the murder of his brother.
“Fresh out of prison after serving 15 years for murdering his own brother, the suspect wasted no time. He armed himself with an illegal firearm, recruited criminal gangs (some already in custody, others still being pursued), and brazenly threatened to shoot anyone who dared challenge him in the Kabachi area,” DCI stated.
Acting on intelligence reports, the multi-agency team launched a swift operation that led to the arrest of the suspect.
During interrogation, detectives say the suspect led officers to a hidden weapons cache where they recovered a Pachet submachine gun loaded with six rounds of 9mm ammunition. The firearm had been concealed in a nearby miraa plantation just a few metres from his home.
DCI confirmed that the weapon and ammunition have been secured as exhibits and are being transported to the National Police Forensic Laboratory for ballistic analysis.
Mucoka remains in police custody and is expected to be arraigned in court to face multiple charges, including robbery with violence, illegal possession of a firearm, and threats to kill.
“Investigations continue relentlessly, tracing the gun’s origin, the ammunition supply chain, and every accomplice still at large. These criminal networks will be dismantled piece by piece,” DCI added.
