NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8 – One of the Administration Police officers who was allegedly involved in escorting fraudsters who posed as G4S staff and stole Sh80 million from Co-operative Bank last week has been arrested.
The officer was arrested on Thursday evening while on guard duties at another bank in Nairobi, according to police.
"We have been trailing the two APs who escorted these criminals to the bank. One of them was arrested yesterday and he is still with us," Mr Richard Katola who heads the Special Crime Prevention Unit said on telephone.
"He is cooperating well with us but there is still more information that he has not given us. We have strong evidence against him. He will be appearing in court later today [Friday]," he added.
Another police officer involved in the investigations told Capital News that the suspect had admitted giving out his official uniform and firearm to a colleague, but denied involvement in the actual robbery.
Police were looking for the officer implicated by the suspect on Friday to shed more light in the case.
Police officers who spoke to Capital News on Friday said the arrest of the AP officer “is a major breakthrough in the case because he will help them get the rest of the real culprits."
The robbery occurred when three men posing as G4S employees accompanied by two armed APs walked into the Co-operative Bank headquarters on Haile Selassie Avenue and picked up Sh80 million.
They used a van branded in G4S corporate colours complete with its logo and an escort saloon car.
The G4S vehicle was later found dumped on Matumbato road in Nairobi\’s Upper Hill.
The security firm immediately disowned the vehicle and declared that the people who picked up the cash from the bank did not work for them.
Police have since arrested and charged five bank Managers, two employees from G4S and another from Wells Fargo over theft of the money.
They were charged at the Kibera Law Courts alongside a former CID officer who was arrested with Sh1.25 million which police believe was part of the loot.
The Co-operative Bank staff included Mary Wangui Kimari [Operations Manager] and fellow employees Claire Wairimu Kabau, Eunice Wanaswa, Priscilla Kahuya Jumba and Celnael Atieno Midega.
They faced charges alongside Elvis Kipkorir Too of G4S, Collins Omondi Sangoro of Wells Fargo and former CID officer Collins Okoth Atira.
They all denied the charges.
The former police officer faced a separate charge of dishonestly retaining Sh1.25 million believed to be part of the money stolen from the bank.
He was allegedly found with the money along the Ahero-Katitu road in Nyakach on Sunday night.
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