Kinoti suggests why Rai Cement manager Chetan Vyas was killed

After two weeks of intense investigations by the DCI, it has now emerged that Chetan Vyas, the Late Rai Cement general manager, who was on September 22 found dead in his Kericho house, was eliminated after he allegedly tried to thwart cement theft plot by staff members at the Rai firm.

Five workers at the Rai Cement factory have thus far been arrested in connection with Vyas’ death.

DCI boss George Kinoti told K24 Digital that the five are: 38-year-old Azim Salim, 24-year-old Osman Noor Mohamed, 29-year-old Shabdin Esmail, 38-year-old Mohamed Shahid Saleh and 24-year-old Yacoob Wali.

Kinoti says the sleuths settled on the five “after extensive forensic investigations of the crime scene in [Vyas’] residential house and entire vicinity where the victim was murdered on September 22”.

“All the suspects, who hail from Mombasa, are loading supervisors at the Rai Cement factory,” said the chief detective.

It is alleged that the suspects had been issued with warning letters, and were on the verge of being sacked for stealing bags of cement at the company.

“The general manager was, as a result, a marked man,” said the DCI chief.

“We are warning those employing foreign-trained staff members to always seek the DCI’s green-light before having the new employees on the payroll. The audit of such staff members is done through Interpol,” said Kinoti.

Rai Cement Limited’s General Manager, Chetan Vyas, was killed on Sunday night (September 22) by unknown men, who gained access to his Kipsitet house in Kericho County through the roof, police said.

Kericho Deputy County Police Commander, Patricia Nasio, said after accessing Chetan’s bedroom, the three-man gang tied his hands and legs, and, thereafter, strangled him.

“Preliminary investigations reveal that the killers climbed up the roof of Chetan’s house, removed the roofing tiles, jumped into the kitchen and, thereafter, went into his bedroom, where they tortured and killed the victim,” Nasio told K24 Digital.

Chetan’s house-help, who had gone to serve him breakfast early Monday (September 23), was the one who made the shocking discovery.

“We will examine CCTV footage mounted in the house to try identify the three suspects whose motive for the killing remains unknown,” Nasio told K24 Digital.

The surveillance cameras installed outside the house had been tampered with, said Nasio.

The deputy police boss said she suspected the killing took place between 11pm Sunday and 4am Monday.

The killers made away with money of unknown amount.

Chetan’s body was, thereafter, taken to Kericho County Referral Hospital mortuary.