Police are currently investigating allegations that attendants at a carwash in the Hurligham area may have stolen a pistol from a vehicle left in their care.
According to reports, a civilian licensed firearm holder informed law enforcement that he had left his gun in the car while it was being washed, only to discover it missing upon his return. The missing firearm, a Ceska pistol accompanied by 15 bullets, was purportedly in the vehicle when it was dropped off for cleaning on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 2.
The vehicle owner stated that he had gone for lunch, leaving his car in the yard during the interval.
However, upon inspection, he was unable to locate the weapon. Despite police visiting the premises and questioning the staff as part of their investigation, the firearm has yet to be found, with authorities expressing concerns over the potential misuse of such weapons for criminal activities.
In response to this incident and a series of similar complaints from motorists regarding lost cash and valuables at carwash facilities, law enforcement is urging carwash owners to thoroughly vet their employees to mitigate such occurrences.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, a suspect was apprehended in the Kiandutu slums of Thika, Kiambu county, where a pistol previously stolen from a senior police officer was recovered. The officer, assigned to Critical Infrastructure in Thika West, reported being assaulted and robbed of his loaded pistol, containing 10 rounds, and his mobile phone on Friday, March 29, by assailants traveling on a motorcycle.
Following the officer’s report, a swift operation was launched in the area, resulting in the arrest of a 23-year-old suspect in Kiandutu slums. Subsequently, the suspect led authorities to a nearby location where he had buried the weapon in a shallow grave. Upon retrieval, eight bullets, along with the Ceska pistol, were recovered, suggesting that two live rounds may have been expended or sold.
Law enforcement officials revealed that the detained suspect is wanted in connection with numerous robberies in the vicinity and is currently being held in custody pending formal charges. Additional operations are planned in the area to apprehend any suspected accomplices, as the region continues to grapple with a surge in armed robberies despite ongoing police efforts to curb the trend.
