Neighbours in the Kigumo area of Murang’a on Saturday turned vigilantes when six masked individuals stormed a local businessman’s homestead in an attempt to abduct him.
Speaking to the media, the neighbours reported hearing a commotion at Nduati Macharia’s home early Saturday morning and responding in large numbers to help.
Reportedly, the men, posing as government officials, intercepted Macharia’s son outside the main gate and demanded his father’s whereabouts.
“I pretended I was an employee and told them that the man of the house was with the cattle. I told them I did not know anything as I was merely a worker here but they said they knew who I was and I should produce my father,” the son narrated.
Members of Kenyas Anti-Terror Police Unit pictured during a drill.PHOTO/ Courtesy
The six, who were masked and wore dark glasses, then stormed inside the main house where Macharia’s wife was. It was at this juncture that she raised the alarm prompting hundreds of neighbours to respond to the scene.
“They asked me where my husband is and when I asked them why they just stormed into the house ahead of me and scoured the whole house but missed him. They asked again where he was but I told them I had left him in there,” the wife added.
According to the businessman, the fake revenue officials claimed that he had defaulted on a loan of Ksh1.3 billion from a local bank.
“They had documents and they told me they were coming from that bank. They told me I had a Ksh1.3 billion loan but I have never even had an account in that bank,” he narrated.
Luckily, the neighbours who had heard the distress call arrived at the home where they reported seeing a suspicious black Subaru vehicle parked outside the gate.
It was their arrival at the home that spooked the intruders, leading them to flee without their neighbour as they had reportedly planned.
This was especially crucial as three prominent businessmen in the same location had already gone missing under unclear circumstances leading the neighbours to stay vigilant.
Since going missing in late December 2024 and early this year, their whereabouts remain unknown.
Police tape marking a crime scene during investigations.
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