Twenty suspects escape after 'fooling' police officer
What you need to know:
- Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone acting commander Daniel Shillah said those who escaped were being held at the station on suspicion of committing “minor” offences
Dar es Salaam. At least 20 suspects escaped from custody at a police station in Mbagala, Dar es Salaam, on Saturday evening after overpowering a police officer.
The incident happened at around 7pm when the suspects, who were being held in a one cell, pretended to be quarrelling.
This prompted the police officer to go and see what was happening.
Unaware of what was going on in the minds of the suspects, the police officer opened the steel door only for the inmates to stampede out of the cell and disappear into the darkness in different directions.
“That is how they escaped,” one of the police officers at Maturubai, told The Citizen’s sister paper, Mwananchi, yesterday.
Eyewitnesses said yesterday that they were conducting income-generating activities close to the police station when they saw suspects running away from building.
“As they were running away, police fired warning shots in the air, but to no avail. The sound of gunfire also sent us fleeing for our lives,” said Mr Said Abdallah, a trader.
People familiar with Maturubai Police Station said the facility is often congested, adding that while the available cells are capable of accommodating a maximum of ten people each, they are usually packed with over 20 suspects.
While the law requires that a suspect should be detained at a police station for not more than 24 hours, sources told Mwananchi that it was not uncommon for suspects to be detained at Maturubai for more than that period.
“From what I know, the suspects may have been detained for quite a long time, and that was why even after breaking the gate, they knew exactly where to run to,” said an eyewitness, who did not want to be identified for fear of repercussions.
Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone acting commander Daniel Shillah said those who escaped were being held at the station on suspicion of committing “minor” offences.
They were arrested during police patrols, but were currently not facing court cases, explained Mr Shillah, who also doubles as the Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone head of investigation.
“As of now, police officers are at the scene. I’m waiting for a comprehensive report from the Temeke police region,” he noted.
Contacted for comment, Temeke Regional Police Commander Richard Ngole said the Police Force was still investigating, and promised to contact Mwananchi for details later.
