Machakos County Detectives have arrested two Boda Boda riders believed to have aided a gang of five armed robbers who invaded Matuu Equity Bank Branch and disappeared with an unknown amount of money on Tuesday morning.
Confirming the arrest, Machakos County Police commander Issa Mohamud said the riders helped the gang during the raid.
“We believe the two riders in custody are part of the gang. They were five of them and investigations are ongoing to nab the armed thieves,” Mohamud said.
Speaking to K24 Digital the police commander said they have crucial leads that could help the arrest of the five gang men who also robbed off two AK47 guns from two police officers manning the bank
“We have some leads and we will not relent until we arrest all those involved. We will magnify those leads and ensure the culprits are brought to book,” Mohamud assured.
The gang of five armed burglars is said to have robbed off equity bank customers in the banking hall their cell phones and several thousands of money before proceeding into the tellers and emptied the cash boxes.
“They also emptied the tellers’ cash boxes unknown amount of money but the bank is yet to consolidate and tell us the total cash stolen,” he said.
The head of police Machakos County also confirmed his two uniformed police officers guarding the bank were injured during the raid and their two AK47 firearms with 3 rounds of ammunition each taken away by the gang.
“We had robbery with violence case where robbers armed with pistols attacked our officers and overpowered them before gaining access into Equity bank Matuu Branch,” Mohamud added.
According to Mohamud, the two wounded police officers are nursing their injuries at the Matuu Level 4 Hospital as further investigations are underway.
He either urged the public to help with the information they might have that could help in their investigations.
In the meantime, Equity Bank management has announced the closure of the Matuu branch following the robbery incident.
Through a message circulated to its clients, said the branch had temporarily closed to allow for the ongoing investigations into the incident.
The banks’ management requested its clients to use alternative ways to access the bank’s services including Equity Bank Cards, Equitel, Equity mobile, Online banking, Equity bank cards, or visit Equity agents and ATMs until when the branch will re-open.
