Five men alleged to have kidnapped a middle-aged man escaped death by a whisker over the weekend after Kitengela Bodaboda riders blocked their vehicle when one of the occupants raised a distress call.
The drama unfolded when the victim lowered a window of a personal vehicle and raised an alarm requesting help from other motorists shouting that he had been kidnapped.
Bodaboda riders responded promptly and managed to block the vehicle heading to Isinya along Namanga road baying for the culprits' blood.
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The heavy traffic snarl-up on Namanga road worked to the advantage of the riders who had responded to the distress call.
The victim who identified himself as Charles Semo was sandwiched between the three men at the back seat, another man sat pensively on the co-driver’s seat.
When they were cornered, the suspects claimed to be health officers who were taking the victim to a rehabilitation centre.
The charging crowd dismissed their story and just before the five were lynched, Kitengela traffic police officers in collaboration with cops in civilian managed to rescue the suspects from the jaw of death to the chagrin of the rowdy crowd.
According to the kidnapped victim, the suspects had picked him at Mlolongo town posing as police officers.
He claimed to have been hoodwinked from a club only to be forced into the car before the vehicle sped off to Mombasa road.
The kidnappers also took his phone and had attempted to sedate him with an injection.
"I was just at a club in Mlolongo with other revellers. We were taking beer and at one point someone I know approached me and told me that my sister’s husband is calling me outside. Being a staunch Christian who does not like being around drunkards I knew it was indeed true because my family know I frequent the join. When I went to the parking lot and approached a vehicle he was said to be, I was bundled into the vehicle and my mouth covered," he narrated.
He added; "The vehicle drove off and the men inside claimed they are police officers taking me to Athi-river police station for interrogations over being involved in some criminal activities. They told me I must cooperate but I noticed they just sped off and we were now at Kitengela town. Fortunately, the town had a heavy traffic snarl-up, apart from the driver, the four were so engaged on their phones. I sensed danger, lowered the car mirror while screaming when my kidnappers least expected.’’
"The kidnapping suspects were lucky to have narrowly escaped death but this is an incident we are investigating to know what transpired. We have recorded statements from the five suspects, the victim and the alleged rehabilitation centre that the victim was being taken and some of the family members. So far we have no conclusive evidence to substantiate if this was a kidnapping case,’’ said a detective privy to the case.
Isinya sub-county police commander Charles Chepkong’a has sent a stern warning to members of the public against taking the law into their hands.
"Members of the public should help us fight crime by reporting incidences and helping us arrest suspects but not by killing them. There is no justification for anybody to lynch somebody. This unbecoming behaviour is criminal,’’ Chepkong’a warned.
The damaged vehicle was towed to Kitengela police station with the five suspects being held for further interrogation.
The incident comes barely a week after four youthful men were lynched by a mob in Enkamuriaki village in Kitengela.
