Seven suspected gangsters were shot dead by the police in a failed robbery in Industrial Area, Nairobi.
The seven are alleged to have stolen gas cylinders in a go down in the area when an alarm went off and alerted police officers who responded quickly.
Police indicated that five other suspects were arrested and several stolen gas cylinders recovered from a lorry parked near the facility.
The suspects had stormed the Softa go down and held two guards hostage before they began to load the gas cylinders onto the lorry.
They also took hostage of another truck that was ferrying empty gas cylinders into the facility.
Richard Kerich, the Nairobi Deputy Police Commandant, divulged that the incident happened at around 9pm on Sunday.
He added, “Police were alerted and managed to kill the seven on the spot as they tried to flee. We recovered crude weapons from the men.”
Kerich indicated that they managed to recover a toy pistol, claw bars, axe, and machetes from the robbers.
The officers also rescued the security guards who had been tied and locked up in a room within the facility, as well as, other workers of the hijacked lorry.
The bodies of the seven were moved to the mortuary and friends and relatives are expected to show up and identify them.
Police also indicated that they recovered the consignment of the gas cylinders that had been loaded into a lorry by the robbers.
The incident marked the largest number of suspects killed by police this year in a single incident.
Police informed that they have enhanced patrols in areas of the city for purposes of curbing criminal activities.