EIGHT Kenyans charged with armed robbery had allegedly disconnected the alarm system and telephone lines before they stormed a bank here in May 2004, the prosecution claimed on Friday.
State Attorney Yohannes Masara, told t Resident Magistrate Hubert George that the accused raided the bank at around 3.00 pm and ordered all 22 Bank employees, five cleaners and 18 customers, to lie down and surrender all their money and mobile phones.
The bandits then ordered the Bank's Branch Manager and the Accountant to open the strong room where they grabbed shs 175.7m/- and proceeded to a Bank of Tanzania vault where they stole 5.1 bn/- in one of the country’s biggest bank heists, the court heard.
Mr Masara is assisted by two other State Attorneys, John Mapinduzi and Biswalo Mgay,The gunmen locked the bank employees in one of the strong rooms and sped off in the direction of Arusha in a metallic green Toyota Land Cruiser.
On trial are Wilfred Onyango Nganyi alias Dadii, Boniface Mwangi Mburu alias Bonche, David Ngugi Mburu alias Davi, Michael Mbanya Wathigo alias Mike, Patrick Muthee Murithi alias Musevu, Gabriel Kungu Kariuki, Jimmy Maina Njoroge alias Ordinary and Simon Ndungu Kiambuthi.
On the following day, the eight Kenyans and two Ugandans alleged to have participated in the robbery allegedly bolted to Nairobi using a hired mini-bus. They had been holed up in their rented house on Plot number 214 Block B,property of one Mr Stephen Minja, the court further heard. The Kenyans were arrested in Mozambique in December 2005 where they were reportedly planning to raid a bank in Maputo.
Kenyan police, in collaboration with INTERPOL,arrived in Mozambique on January 14, 2006 and they were handed over to Tanzanian police when the plane carrying them landed at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. The men were also wanted for a number of bank robberies in Tanzania, the court further heard.
SOURCE: DAILY NEWS
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