Zachariah Nyaora Obadia, a boda boda operator who was identified as the mastermind of a gang that sexually harassed a female motorist in Nairobi a week ago has been detained for 10 days.
Police want to detain him as they conclude their investigations into the attack on the motorist on Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi.
Milimani Law Courts Senior principal magistrate Robinson Ondiek on Tuesday granted the police their wish to remand Zachariah Nyaore Obadiah for 10 days over the UN diplomat’s attack on March 4, 2022.
Ondiek said police need time to finalize investigation in the matter which is of great public interest.
According to an application, police said they needed time to hold the suspect for a further 10 days to complete their probe.
It further wants the court to charge the suspect with robbery with violence and sexual assault.
The application states that the suspect is one of the persons who was captured on a viral video clip assaulting the victim thereafter went into hiding and escaped arrest.
While inside her car, the riders sexually assaulted the victim and in the process robbed her of an iPhone 6 valued at Sh130,000.
The court has been petitioned to issue a custodial order to detain the respondent until March 24.
“Therefore it will be in the interest of justice for this honourable court to grant the order and implore to, so that the respondent may be presented to the court on March 24, 2022 alongside his 16 accomplices,” police said.
Obadiah was arrested on March 14 while trying to cross the border to Tanzania, he did not oppose the plea to detain him for 10 days.
Last week, 16 suspects accused of robbery with violence and sexually molesting the female diplomat were also detained for 20 days.
The suspects include boda boda riders, matatu drivers and conductors.
