Police Constable Attached to Mikindani Station Found Murdered, Body Dumped Between Containers in Kilifi
Cases of police officers being targeted have been on the rise in the Coast region in recent months, raising alarm among security agencies.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
Detectives in Kilifi County have launched investigations into the murder of a police officer whose body was discovered wedged between two shipping containers at Bonje Shopping Centre.
The officer has been identified as Police Constable Jillo Maalim Lucas, who was serving at Mikindani Police Station in Mombasa County. He had been reported missing prior to the discovery.
Police said officers from Mazeras Police Station were alerted on Monday that an unidentified male body had been found lying in a secluded area between two isolated containers on the outskirts of Bonje Shopping Centre, along the Mombasa – Nairobi highway.
The body was collected and moved to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital Mortuary. It was later positively identified by his colleagues from Mikindani and his own brother as PC Lucas.
According to investigators who visited the scene, the circumstances point to a brutal murder. The deceased had visible injuries including bruises on the shoulder, a wound on the back of the head, and injuries on the fingers of his right hand, suggesting he may have fought for his life before being overpowered.
Police believe the killing did not happen at the scene where the body was found. Preliminary findings indicate the officer may have been killed elsewhere and his body transported and dumped between the containers to hide evidence.
“The body was found wedged between two isolated shipping containers on the outskirts of the shopping centre. Police suspect the man may have been killed elsewhere before his body was dumped at the scene,” the police report reads in part.
A homicide team revisited the scene on Tuesday to comb for more clues as part of the probe into what police now believe to be a clear case of murder. The area has been cordoned off as forensic experts process the scene.
The body is still preserved at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital Mortuary awaiting a full post-mortem examination that will determine the exact cause of death.
The family of the fallen officer has been notified and is expected to record statements to help establish his last movements before he disappeared from his workstation.
Cases of police officers being targeted have been on the rise in the Coast region in recent months, raising alarm among security agencies.
Police have appealed to members of the public with any information regarding the incident or who may have seen suspicious activity around Bonje Shopping Centre in the past few days to report to the nearest police station or to Mazeras Police Station.
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