Four suspected gangsters were on Monday night shot dead in Takaungu in Kilifi County, after confronting police officers who were trailing them.
The four are suspected to be the masterminds behind a series of robberies in Machakos, Mombasa and Kwale Counties over the past few months, including a bank heist that happened on July 27, 2021, in Equity Bank, Matuu.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspected thugs defied orders to surrender triggering an exchange of fire.
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"Sounds of gunfire rent the air in the sleepy coastal creek of Takaungu in Kilifi County last night, as the sleuths drawn from the elite Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau, augmented by marksmen from the DCI Operations branch answered to the thugs’ provocation with precision," the DCI said in a statement.
The police recovered an AK-47 rifle serial number KE KP 5527115 loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, believed to have been stolen during the Matuu heist.
The suspects are said to have been involved in over 10 armed robberies, mostly targeting M-Pesa shops and other business establishments in Mombasa and Kwale counties.
Police say they trailed the suspects from Likoni Ferry to Shimanzi, Nyali and Shariani before finally cornering them in Takaungu, moments to midnight.
"The miscreants were headed to Kilifi town to commit more robberies when our men scattered their mission," the DCI added.
Two motorcycles that were used by the suspects as getaway means were also impounded.
