Mr. John Kamau alias Faruk, an armed robber who was killed this week in the Soweto Slums of Kayole after being connected to the grisly murder of a detective in Mihang’o, Nairobi County, did an impressive job of hiding his criminal activities from his neighbors.
This is according to Nyumba Kumi Chairman Mr. Kahira Kuria, who claimed that locals were startled to find that police officers had entered the slain gangster’s rental home and shot him dead because they knew little about him.
“On Tuesday morning, around 5:45am, we were woken up by gunshots. I immediately sought to establish what was happening and I was informed that a man who was living among us was a gangster yet we never knew,” Mr Kuria told Nairobi News.
He also disclosed that the deceased man’s wife had already paid the rent for the residence a week prior to Faruk.
Mr. Kuria claimed the agents who gave the couple the house never bothered to conduct a background investigation and comprehend the individuals he was giving the place to.
“I am asking the agents to ensure that they get the details of the people seeking tenancy. It is important to obtain their phone numbers, ID details and also get to know what they do for a living,” Mr Kuria said.
The chairman of Nyumba Kumi also claimed that the neighborhood’s crime rate had increased. According to Mr. Kuria, there have been a number of burglaries in the neighborhood recently.
Faruk was sleeping at his hiding place in Nairobi’s Soweto Slums when he was ambushed by police officers and investigators. Early in the morning, the police entered the home and demanded that the dead turn himself up.
Instead, the Glock-wielding suspect opened fire on the officers, wounding one of the law enforcement officers in the process.
The wounded officer was taken to safety while the suspect was shot and killed by the other officers as they engaged the suspect.
The police suspect that the pistol the officers found was used to end the life of Mr David Mayaka who was attacked and killed in Mihang’o area on August 8, 2023 as he was changing one of his car tires.