KDF officer arrested over trafficking of Ksh2.9 million Rhino horn
A Kenya Defence Force(KDF) has been arrested by police after being found in possession of a rhino horn valued at Ksh2.9 million
A Kenya Defence Force(KDF) has been arrested by police after being found in possession of a rhino horn valued at Ksh2.9 million.
The KDF officer was arrested while in possession of the endangered animal ivory while in the company of other two people who the police suspect were part of the group that engaged in unlawful trade.
According to police, preliminary investigations have established that the KDF sergeant is based at Ngong camp in the Nairobi region.
The horn said to have been in transit weighed 2.9 kilogrammes. Police have launched investigations to unravel where the suspects intended to take the ivory.
“Security officers relied on a tip-off they got from concerned members of the public. An operation was planned and the suspects were arrested,” Homa Bay County Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) commander Peter Kimulwo stated.
During the arrest, the KDF sergeant, together with his accomplices, were holed up inside a popular hotel in Rodi Kopany, Homabay County.
The police were forced to deploy a team of officers from DCI, Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), and other regular police officers.
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During the apprehension, police also recovered a vehicle, a black Toyota Kluger, which the suspects used to transport the rhino horn.
The trio were immediately taken to Homa Bay Police Station, where they were locked up pending arraignment in court.
Detectives highlighted that they suspect that the trio might have gotten the rhino horn from the nearby Ruma National Park.
Additionally, the detectives revealed that they are still pursuing other suspects linked to a syndicate of poachers operating within the National Park.
Some of the KDF officers have in the past few months been on the spot over indiscipline issues that have seen them apprehended by police.
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