Hero chief chase kidnapping suspects, save woman.

Kianjau Assistant Chief John Karanja interrogating Margret Gathoni after they managed to rescue her from her kidnappers. Behind them, is the vehicle used by the suspects.

Quick reflex action and some heroic response by one administrator may have probably saved the life of a middle-aged woman who had been kidnapped at Kihiu Mwiri village in Ithanga Location of Murang’a County and driven all the way to Thika.

Kianjau Sub-Location Assistant Chief John Karanja was driving along Thika superhighway when he realised something unusual in a car that had driven past him near Vincentian Retreat Centre.

“As the car drove past me, a woman screamed from inside and I realised something was seriously wrong. I mobilised some bodaboda operators who were nearby and we followed the vehicle,” said the chief.

Immediately after driving past the retreat centre, the kidnappers diverted off the tarmac and joined the murram roads heading towards Athena.

The chief and the bodaboda riders gave chase as the raised alarm to alert other residents of the imminent danger.

Fortunately, as the kidnappers were about to cross the bridge to join Witeithie in Juja, the chief with the help of other bodaboda riders intercepted and managed to block the car, forcing their driver to stop.

Four suspects, two men and two women, were apprehended and frog-matched by the angry residents.

It was at this juncture that the chief called the Thika Police who arrived at the scene almost immediately.

It is understood that the victim, Margret Gathoni Githinji was on her way to Thika when she bumped into the suspects at a shopping centre in Kihiu Mwiri disguised as SIM Card vendors.

After some brief introduction, they offered to give her a lift to Thika.

The scene of the rescue immediately after the chief and his team managed to block the road and eventually managing to arrest the suspects.

Gathoni claims that after a few minutes of interaction with the suspects inside the vehicle, she lost her senses only to regain them as the car drove past the Thika flyover.

When she demanded permission to alight, they pinned her onto the seat, prompting her to scream for help.

According to Gathoni’s M-PESA records which the suspects had attempted to erase in order to wipe out any evidence, it was clear that they had managed to transfer an unknown amount of money to one of their accounts.

The suspects are now in police custody awaiting to face theft charges and may be attempted kidnap.