By Augustine Ehikioya
Police in Kenya have arrested criminals who went to acquire witchcraft powers and other unorthodox means to evade arrest.
One of the suspects was caught in the witchcraft process of being immersed in a basin containing a concoction of blood drawn from a dead fowl.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and made available to Security Watch Africa (SWA).
It said “Criminals have resorted to witchcraft and other unorthodox methods, in a bid to evade detection by our hawk-eyed detectives, as DCI intensifies its onslaught against criminals and criminal gangs in the country.
“Yesterday, detectives based at the elite Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) supported by their Special Services Unit (SSU) counterparts, pounced on a suspect who took off with Sh4million, from her employer three weeks ago.
“The suspect identified as Miriam Mwelu, who was accompanied by her partner Timothy Akoi, were found at a renowned witch doctor’s house in Gachie, Kiambu county, where Mwelu had gone to seek protection from our men.
“The detectives arrived in time as the suspect was being immersed in a basin containing a concoction of blood drawn from a dead fowl, whose features resembled those of a cockerel.
“Upon noticing the detectives, the elderly witch doctor pronounced endless incantations in an attempt to keep them at bay, but that did not deter the sleuths from executing their mission much to the bemusement of Mwelu, who had closed her eyes expecting the sleuths to vanish.
“She couldn’t come to terms with reality, after the in-charge of the operation told her ‘mama bado tuko hapa vaa nguo twende.’
The team recovered from the scene a set of paraphernalia forming part of the witch doctor’s tools of trade including horns, feathers and cowrie shells.
Services offered by the witch doctor as detailed on a long list seen by the detectives, according to the statement, was ‘Kutoshikwa na DCI’ attracting a fee of Sh5,000.
The statement said the suspect later led the detectives to her parents home in Ithanga, Murang’a county, where Sh1.57million was recovered.
“Also recovered was the jewelry stolen from the woman’s employer,” it added.
DCI, in the statement, also cautioned criminals who have committed crimes not to waste time seeking the services of wizards, “to protect them from our officers.”
According to the statement, detectives rely on actionable intelligence supported forensically through science that cannot be challenged by the dark powers of a witch doctor.