Sunday, 24 November 2013

Dar in a panic as brutal gangs terrorize its suburbs


A string of shops raided recently in Mbezi Juu, Dar es Salaam. The city is in a bit of a panic as it witnesses a marked increase in incidents of violent crime, particularly in its not-so-leafy suburbs.


Dar es Salaam. People living and doing business in suburbs of Dar es Salaam are living in great fear following a surge in high-level crimes including murder.
Youth gangs break into homes, commit armed robbery and other forms of violent crimes,  causing concerns to shop owners and households.
Many who resisted have either been killed or sustained permanent disabilities when groups of armed gangs stormed homes or businesses.
What worries most about this trend is the impunity with which the criminals are robbing people of their properties and the poor  police response.
Some say it is a sign of an overwhelmed police force.
Spot check by The Citizen on Sunday show areas such as Mbezi Juu, Madale, Goba, Mbagala, Bunju, Tegeta and some parts of Tabata are notorious for the incidents.
There were shocking tales of armed robbery incidents and thefts when this paper visited some of the suburbs to establish security situation on the ground.
The shooting to death of  24 year-old shop seller Akilimali Jonathan at Mbagala Chamazi, and a similar murder of Godlisten Urio at Mbagala Rangi Tatu are the tip of the iceberg as far as crime in suburbs is concerned.
The attack by machete-brandishing gangsters of Mr Ali Masunga of Mbezi Juu who is nursing serious wounds at his home tells of hundreds of similar attacks to people living in Dar es Salaam suburbs.
Akilimali Everest, 24, was selling items in a shop on September 27 at Mbagala Chamazi when armed robbers struck and demanded to be given all the money he had.
They shot him in the chest and ransacked the shop before they sped on a bodaboda. Everest died three days later at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).
The shop owner, Mr Baraka Jonathan, says police came at the scene a day after the incident, and since then nothing has been done.

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