At the Embu Law Court on Monday, three suspects were charged with operating a syndicate that targets men for extortion.
As part of the trio's plan, a woman is reported to have invited men to her rented room, where after arrival a man would barge in, accuse the target of having an affair with his wife, and demand payment.
Virginia Wanjiru Njagi, Erick Ngugi Bundi and Kelvin Mwenda Kathenya appeared before Principal Magistrate Robert Mundia.
The accused were accused of robbing a man on April 10, 2024, at Macky Apartment Gwakwegori in Embu West together with a wooden stick and using violence against him right away after the theft for Ksh. 11,100.
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In the second count, the three were also accused of robbing another man of Ksh. There were 1,700 at the same apartment on April 11, 2024, armed with two knives and a dagger. After the robbery, they were accused of using violence against the victim.
The three were also accused of injuring the second man in the third count.
Separate charges were brought against Kathenya for allegedly posing as the Itabua police station Inspector of Police to one of their targets.
Wanjiru allegedly claimed the man was having an affair with her while luring men into the apartment where the two men showed up, according to testimony given in court. They then asked the men for money.
They refuted the accusations. The three were freed on a Ksh. 500,000 bond with a comparable surety or Ksh. 200,000 in cash bail.
Pretrial was scheduled for July 16 in this case.
