Two suspected robbers were Tuesday gunned down by plainclothes police officers after they attacked and robbed a man of an unknown amount of money along Moi Avenue, Nairobi.
Witnesses and police said a gang of five had attacked a customer after he left a bank with the money and grabbed the same.
Police on patrol were alerted and shot and killed two.
Three others escaped on foot in the midday drama, police said.
A hunt for those who escaped is ongoing, Central police Commander Stephene Nyakombo said.
He added they had intensified operations in the city to address the gang that has been linked to such past incidents.
“We have deployed more personnel to ensure safety for all in the city ahead of the festivities,” he said.
Police were forced to lob teargas to disperse onlookers from the crime scene before moving the bodies to the mortuary pending autopsy.
Last month, an official of a matatu sacco was attacked and robbed of Sh500,000 moments after leaving a bank.
The official working with Embassava Matatu Sacco told police he had walked to the bank, Moi Avenue Branch and withdrew the cash for use at their office.
He then left the bank and walked towards Kenneth Matiba Road.
He said that while walking near the National Archives area he was attacked by about ten men who were trailing him.
They floored him before grabbing the cash and his mobile phone.
The gang escaped on foot in the 3 pm incident. Police were alerted and visited the scene and the bank for investigations.
This is the second such incident to happen in the same area after the victims left banks.
Another man had earlier in the month been robbed of a similar amount of money in the area after he left the bank.
The matter is still under probe. Police say most such incidents happen after collusion by various parties involved.
They include those in banks and offices where the individuals are taking the cash.
An investigation into the same is ongoing and no arrest has been made so far.
Elsewhere, in a swift response to mobile banking fraud in Mulot, detectives launched a coordinated operation that resulted in the arrest of five suspects at the bustling Mulot market.
The arrest sparked a protest in the area with locals demanding their release.
Police used teargas canisters to disperse the protesters and said the group had been detained for processing pending arraignment to face charges of conspiracy to defraud, engaging in organised crime, and the acquisition of proceeds from crime, among other charges.
