Mombasa, KENYA: Police on Wednesday had to fire live bullets in the air to rescue two criminal gang members from an irate mob in Likoni, Mombasa.
The two who were in a company of five, are said to have attacked a woman and robbed her before they were cornered.
“The two suspects are nursing serious injuries at Coast General hospital with life-threatening injuries,” police said.
Area DCI boss Henry Ndombi said the officers were notified of the incident by the public and when police were deployed the two suspects had been seriously beaten.
He said the suspects were armed with machetes and other crude weapons.
One of the suspects has been identified as Cocktail and is alleged to be a member of Wajukuu wa bibi criminal gang.
The DCI boss said the woman attacked was taken to a nearby hospital and later discharged.
“She has recorded the statement with police, and the investigations have started,” said the DCI boss.
The suspects allegedly demanded the money from the woman and by the time the alarm was raised others had robbed her a cellphone.
He said a manhunt for three others who escaped is underway and asked the public to volunteer information to police which will lead to arrest.
Police have been grappling with criminal gangs alleged to have wreck havoc in the sub-county.
Late last year, top police commanders visited the sub-county and ordered police to weed out all criminal gangs in the area.
The operations started and police killed one suspect who had tried to attack police on patrol.
