Four suspected thugs were Tuesday morning shot and killed in a house in Kijipwa, Takaungu area, Kilifi County and a stolen police AK47 rifle found on them.
The rifle had seven live bullets at the time of the recovery, police said.
The men were linked to a series of robberies that had been reported in Machakos, Kwale, and Mombasa in which money was robbed, police said adding they refused to heed orders to surrender.
The slain men included a suspect who was wanted in connection with a robbery incident at an M-Pesa shop in Mombasa in February this year that was captured on a CCTV camera.
After the robbery in February 2023, police arrested one Festus Mutiya Kaloki alias Kamwana and Peter Kilaa and arraigned them before a Mombasa court.
The two were arrested within the Kongowea area in Nyali, after an informant called with police.
Police told the court that the suspects committed the offense with others still at large while armed with AK47 assault rifles at Economy Way Mini supermarket in Manoni, Kiembeni.
The detectives told the court that the suspects stormed the building and ordered everyone to lie down before stealing an unknown amount of money from the M-Pesa shop in the building.
Police further told the court that the suspects are also being investigated over a spate of robberies with violence in Mombasa County and that several victims had made reports in different police stations.
The robbery with violence incidences was reported under OB numbers 29/13/1/2023 at Nyali police station, 25/15/02/2023 (Kadzandani police station), 20/07/02/2023 (Tononoka police station), and in Changamwe and Mtwapa.
They were held for 21 days before they were set free.
Come Tuesday, June 13, Kaloki was among the four who were in a house in Mkwajuni, Takaungu, and were planning a robbery.
The second slain suspect was identified as Tsuma Ndoro while the other two did not have identification cards.
They had been trailed from Likoni to the area where they planned the robbery, police said.
No police officer was injured during the confrontation at midnight.
The bodies were moved to the mortuary pending identification and autopsy.
It later emerged the AK47 rifle that was found on the suspects had been robbed by a police officer during a robbery incident in Matuu, Machakos County on July 27, 2021.
During the robbery at Equity Bank, five armed robbers entered the bank after grabbing the weapons from the officers guarding it.
The recovered weapon serial number KP 5527115 with 30 bullets belonged to Constable Dorothy Opili was injured.
Another weapon with 30 bullets belonging to Constable Patrick Omusebe was also robbed but was later recovered in Ruiru, Kiambu.
A review of CCTV footage showed Opili, left her seat outside the premises shortly before the robbery.
On leaving, she left the weapon with her colleague, Omusebe.
The male officer had his AK47. Shortly, he placed both rifles on the floor and sat down.
The footage showed the gang struck at exactly 9 am as the bank had opened its doors.
Omusebe was the first one to be taken on by two robbers, both armed with pistols, who overpowered him and grabbed the two rifles under his care before pushing him to the banking hall.
Another policeman who was nearby fled on a motorcycle to the nearby bank and notified two officers who were manning the premises.
Police said then the gang also engaged responding teams in a shootout and they suspected one of the men was injured.
The raid is said to have lasted for over 10 minutes before the gang drove off amid a chase.
The bank was then closed temporarily to reinforce its security measures.
It was until June 13, 2023, that the weapon was recovered in Kilifi.
