Cell phone helped police to arrest NMB robbery suspects, court is told
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Linus Sinzumwa.PHOTO|FILE
What you need to know:
The fallen Mbugua was found with a Kenyan Passport No. 642512, a cellular phone and two handguns, Beretta with three rounds of ammunition and an AK47, Michigan pistol and one magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition.
Moshi. A cellular phone found with a Kenyan national, Peter Mbugua, gave police detectives clues that led to the arrest of 12 people who allegedly killed a police constable, Michael Milanzi.
Milanzi, who was an officer from the Field Force Unit (FFU) was killed during an armed robbery at the National Micro-finance Bank (NMB) Mwanga Branch, on July 11, 2007, an incident that saw robbers getting away with Sh239 million from the bank.
The bandits allegedly shot the police officer with an assault rifle, an AK-47 before disappearing into thin air.
Testifying before the court in Moshi, a Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Linus Sinzumwa said the cellular phone which was found in the possession of the Kenyan had many clues that facilitated the arrest of other suspects who allegedly took part in both the robbery and killing of PC Milanzi.
Mr Sinzumwa, who was then a regional crime officer in Kilimanjaro, said the department tightened security and monitored all movements to and from the region after the armed robbery incident.
He said later, the police identified a Toyota Landcruiser which the robbers used to escape after the heist. This vehicle was soon followed by a saloon car, Toyota Corolla with Mbugua behind the wheel.
According to Mr Sinzumwa, the people who were in the car opened fire at the police who responded and it was during the fierce exchange of fire that Toyota Corolla and Toyota Lancruiser collided. The robbery suspects clambered out of their vehicles and disappeared leaving Mbugua who was dying from gunshot wounds.
The fallen Mbugua was found with a Kenyan Passport No. 642512, a cellular phone and two handguns, Beretta with three rounds of ammunition and an AK47, Michigan pistol and one magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition.
“The phone enabled police detectives to catch up with 12 other suspects after tracking communication between them,” Mr Sinzumwa told Judge Kakusulo Sambo.
Other accused in the case include Samwel Gitau Saitoti and Michael Kimani Peter, both Kenya nationals while the remaining 10 people are Tanzanians.
