NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 26- Four men who have been allegedly luring photographers to inexistent events before robbing them of their cameras denied robbery with violence charges and claimed their mastermind was suspiciously left off the hook.
They are Calvin Klein Okana, Issan Okunjo, Brian Ochieng Otieno and Bob Elton Olando.
The four were charged with carrying out three violent robberies within Dagoretti Sub County, Nairobi between October 15th and 23rd jointly with another suspect not before court while armed with a pistol.
But they said their gang leader Denzel Masava who they claimed had been planning everything was dropped from the charge sheet after they stayed with him in custody at Kabete police station for a week as Directorate of Criminal Investigations probed robbery claims against them.
Masava was among them when they were first arraigned before the court last week as the DCI sought custodial orders to detain them while carrying out investigations.
The suspects have been luring photographers and videographers to film fictitious events before they are attacked and robbed of their equipment.
In one of the cases, they are accused of robbing Momaya Godwin Lameck of his camera – Nikon D7500 worth Sh10,500 and its accessories worth Sh10,000 in Kawangware on October 25 and threatening to shoot him with a pistol.
They were also accused of robbing Anthony Muraya Kamau of his Camera – a Nikon D3500 worth Sh50,000 and its accessories worth Sh4000 in Uthiru on October 15.
The four suspects were also charged with robbing Samuel Kamau of his Nikon D5500 worth Sh60,000 and its accessories, a lens worth Sh20,000 and accessories worth Sh2000 in Kawangware on October 23 while armed with a pistol.
Olando was separately charged with handling stolen properties after he was allegedly found with the cameras at his shop in Nairobi CBD.
He is accused of dishonestly retaining the cameras while knowing or having reasons to believe they had been stolen, in course of stealing them.
They all denied the charges against them where they appeared before senior principal magistrate Esther Bhoke of Kibera law courts.
One of the photographers was telephoned by a lady who told him that she was attending a merry-go-round and she needed photos of the function, and agreed to pay Sh5000.
She was to meet the photographer at Amboseli road in Lavington where she was to pick him.
The lady arrived on a bodaboda and they proceeded together towards Kawangware but the rider stopped somewhere along the road and dropped them.
Immediately, three men arrived on a bodaboda and ambushed him asking what he was doing with their woman before robbing him of everything while assaulting him with a metal bar.
They then vanished.
Another victim had travelled from Mlolongo in Machakos County to film a birthday party and was also lured the same way and told he would be picked up by a motorcycle.
The rider then stopped along the road claiming the bike had run out of fuel before more than five men surrounded them while armed with a gun and robbed him and disappeared.
But Okana said they have never used a pistol in their crimes. Okana, Okunjo and Otieno claimed Masava was coordinating the robberies before the cameras were sold to Olando.
Olando is set to be turned to a state witness against the suspects in the cases.
He excluded himself from his accomplices and sought leniency claiming he was not involved in the robberies.
Olando was freed on a Sh500, 000 bond and an alternative cash bail of Sh50,000.
The other suspects were granted Sh500,000 bond with a surety of similar amount and alternative cash bail of Sh100,000 each.
The case will be mentioned on December 7 when the DCI will be required to explain why Masava was not charged alongside the four suspects.
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