Police in Naivasha have warned revelers arriving in the town for the World Rally Championship (WRC) to be on the lookout following a rise in the spiking of drinks.
Though security has been intensified as the global event kicked off, they noted that some people had fallen prey to the women who were drugging and later robbing their victims.
Since Monday, four cases of drink-spiking have been reported in the area police station, with one of the victims losing Sh0.5m.
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In all the cases, the victims were drugged with the suspects withdrawing cash from their banks using mobile phones.
This came as the security team banned parking and the hawking of alcohol along roads with 700 officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) dispatched to the town.
According to a source privy to the investigations, the victims were drugged, and the women used their phones to withdraw cash from the banks.
The source said they expected the cases to rise over the weekend when the town hosted over ten music events in various corners.
“All the victims are working with WRC, and one of the victims was a police officer attached to the event and this is just the beginning,” said the officer.
Naivasha deputy commissioner Mutua Kisulu said security had intensified in the town and around various hotels that had organized the musical events.
“We have heard cases of spiking of drinks, and this comes to individual responsibility as police cannot be manning who you are drinking with,” he said.
At the same time, he announced a ban on parking and hawking of liquor and food along roads, as witnessed in last year’s event.
“Any car found parked by the roadside will be towed to the police station at the expense of WRC and released on Monday,” he said.
Mutua added that they were working closely with event organizers around the town to ensure ample security and free traffic flow.
“We have received over 700 officers from the special unit in Nairobi and even bomb experts to help address the issue of security during the weekend,” he said.
He added that, unlike last year when several roads were closed to allow the rally cars to pass, this year’s event would be different with organizers keen on the free flow of traffic.
