| Rough Justice in Arusha |
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Killers riding on motorcycles now seem to be operating freely in the municipality, which has in recent years gained the dubious distinction of being Tanzania s crime capital. The statistics are worrying. At least five people have been murdered in cold blood by gunmen riding on motorcycles within one month in Arusha. They include the pregnant wife of a prominent businessman, who was shot dead outside her home at night last week by two men who sped away on a motorcycle after committing the dastardly act. In all cases, nothing was taken from the victims, and this points to the existence of an elaborate ring of hired killers operating in the municipality and its environs. Police inevitably have to shoulder part of the blame for the emergence of this particularly vile form of crime. It will be recalled that criminals in Arusha first started using motorcycles back in 2004. Robbers riding in pairs then used to ambush pedestrians under the cover of darkness and rob them of cash, mobile phones and other valuables, before fleeing on motorbikes and leaving their victims wreathing on the ground in agony. No comprehensive measures were taken to curb the wave of attacks and robberies carried out by motorcycle-riding gangsters, and the criminals became more daring. It's thus not surprising that the then novel way of carrying out robberies and inaction on the part of police has spawned the kind of heartless killers who are now on the prowl in Arusha. Police have responded by shooting dead two men suspected of killing Mrs Jacqueline Minja, the woman who was murdered outside her home last Tuesday. 'However, it would help the police get to the bottom of the murders and possibly crack rings of hired killers in Arusha if they arrest instead of killing suspects. What the police need is information that would help them arrest the killers and those hiring them and bring them to justice. From The Citizen 1 February 2010. By a staff writer |
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