A Milimani court has allowed the police to continue holding the suspect accused of killing a suspected fraudster at the Mirema drive incident for two weeks to allow completion of investigations into the murder incident.
Dennis Karani Gachoki, suspect in the Mirema drive shooting will now remain in police custody at Kasarani police station until June 8 awaiting the conclusion of the probe.
In an application filed at a Milimani court, the police have asked the court to allow detention of the suspect due to the complexity of the case where there is a likelihood of more suspects being apprehended.
According to the prosecution, Karani is suspected to be the person driving the car from which the shooter alighted and later bordered after shooting Mugota and speeding away.
Corporal Kapario Lekakeny, the investigating officer, said that the State is not ready to charge the suspect with murder since he surrendered to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters on Monday.
“We urge the court to issue a custodial order that Mr. Karani is detained for 14 days from May 24 to June 6, 2022, at Kasarani police station in Nairobi to allow investigating officer complete investigations on the case of murder contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the penal code,” says Mr. Lekakeny in an affidavit.
The investigating officer stated that the suspect, together with others not before the court, is believed to have premeditated the execution of Mugoh. Police allege that he was their accomplice in the stupefying and fraudulent scheme.
“It’s in the interest of justice, the family of the deceased are still mourning and when we wanted to record their statements we were unable because they are still traumatized,” he said.
According to the police, Karani is also alleged to have stolen a police firearm in Kasarani by stupefying the officer and the said gun is yet to be recovered; the suspect has no fixed place of residence and is believed to reside in different places including Kiambu, Nakuru, and Mombasa.
“Although the suspect surrendered to the police, he failed to produce his mobile phone which is believed to possess vital information that would assist the investigators. Therefore, investigations require the time to travel to Nakuru and Mombasa to collect more evidence,” says Mr. Lekakeny.
