Two bank tellers under investigation as DCI intensifies inquiry into the murder of Mumias educator.
Ismael Wawire displaying a photograph of Roselyda Akinyi who was slain by unidentified attackers following her money withdrawal from one of the banks. [Benjamin Skawa, Standard]
Investigators looking into the murder of a teacher by unidentified attackers after withdrawing Sh285,000 from a bank in Mumias town have focused their inquiry on two bank tellers.
The Standard has found that the two bank employees who attended to the murdered Roseylda Akinyi are persons of interest, while they also track two other suspects captured by the bank’s CCTV footage.
This follows the revelation that the victim was stabbed with a knife, rather than shot as previously reported by officials.
Last week, Akinyi was ambushed by a group of criminals in a saloon car, moments after making her bank withdrawal.
She was assaulted barely a kilometer away from the bank.
According to the Western Regional Criminal Investigation Officer, Njeru Nthiga, detectives are pursuing two men who were seen interacting suspiciously with a bank teller and a guard.
“So far, we are making progress. We have two suspects who were present in the bank and were observed interacting with a bank teller in the loan section and a bank security guard,” stated Nthiga.
He continued, “She was not shot but rather the assailant used a long and sharp knife which penetrated the left side of the chest, severed the right aorta of the heart, and exited through the right side of the ribs before being removed, which explains the small wounds at both the entry and exit points, unlike the impact of a bullet. ”
He mentioned that initial investigations show one of the suspects requested a non-existent loan while the other spoke to a guard claiming some funds had been sent to an incorrect number and needed assistance while they waited for the victim to make a withdrawal.
According to Nthiga, detectives have acquired CCTV footage from the bank that clearly depicts the suspects following the victim while feigning phone conversations while in line.
“The suspects can be seen looking at the deceased in a suspicious manner, and we suspect their behavior, and if they aren’t the killers or scouts for the killers, they should reveal or direct us to the actual perpetrators,” remarked Nthiga.
He stated that police have strong reasons to believe that the two tellers, a bank security guard, and the boda boda rider who transported the victim possess important information that could aid in solving the murder.
“We are exploring numerous possibilities because when conducting a large withdrawal, bank tellers could set you up, a bank guard could assist, or the suspects might observe the type of withdrawal and opt to follow you,” he concluded.
As per the detective, even though the boda boda operator is reported to be a relative of the deceased, he will be interrogated to determine if he was in any way an informant to one of the suspects.
“We have already secured the mobile phone of the deceased, which is currently with us for additional examination. It is a challenging procedure, but we must undertake it,” stated Nthiga.
