BY SAM ALFAN.
Four men accused of trespassing on a 5-acre piece of land in Karen belonging to an unnamed senior politician have been detained for two days, pending conclusion of police investigations.
While directing the police to detain Mohammed Mohammud Wako alias Hussein Mohammed, James Owino Opere, Jonah Saluuni Tuuko and Samakini Lesingiran, Milimani Senior Resident Magistrate Jane Kamau directed the officers to release the suspects on a cash bail of Sh30, 000 after the lapse of two days.
The magistrate declined to detain the suspects for seven days as requested by the police. Through a miscellaneous application, Sergeant Lawson Shumu attached to DCI Headquarters land fraud Investigations Unit said one week was sufficient enough to enable him to investigate allegations of conspiracy to defraud, forgery and obtaining land on registration by false pretense and forcible entry.
According to the investigator, the suspects entered the parcel of land L. R. No. 1159/88 without authority on January 3 this year and started searching for beacons.
They were suspected to have been planning to sell the land located along Windy Ridge lane in Karen to unsuspecting members of the public. They were arrested and detained by officers from Karen Police Station.
“After interrogation, there were reasonable suspicions to believe that the suspects are in possession of forged title to the same land which they are using to lure unsuspecting members of the public into believing that the title is genuine and that the land is being offered for sale,” Lawson told the court.
The officer further told the court the suspects are indirectly or directly connected to the ongoing investigations over the same land.
Lawyer Danstan Omari for the suspects vehemently opposed the application to detain his clients for seven days. The lawyer claimed that the controversial land belongs to the head of the state.
