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Front Page Killed robbery suspects now bone of contentionby Staff Reporter Taxi drivers operating from the Central Market station are worried of the future of their business following last Monday’s robbery incident at the Clock Tower Post Office in which six robbery suspects were gunned down by the Police. The chairman of the Central Market Taxi Operators Association, John Mushi lamented that customers have been avoiding hiring their cabs because one of the killed suspects was reported to have been a Central Market-based taxi driver. Refuting the claims, Mushi said the suspect by the name of Daudi, wasn’t a taxi driver but a truck driver. "Of course he used to park his pick up truck here but he never had anything to do with us", said Mushi, whose association was infuriated by the reports linking the murdered suspect with taxi business. At about one hour past midnight, on Monday a gang of six fully armed and well equipped men reportedly broke into the Clock Tower Post Office after drugging the guard who was watching over the premises. A team of patrolling Police officers, who happened to be passing by discovered the unconscious guard and after investigating further, they noticed a broken door. Storming into the building, the Police came face to face with the suspects who fired at them, but the Police officers fire power was superior. Within a short time six suspects were spread-eagled on the floor dead. The Regional Police Commander (RPC), James Kombe named the killed suspects as Richard (Paul) Massawe, a businessman, Daudi, who is reported to be a taxi driver of Central Market area, Zacharia Materu, a metal apprentice and resident of Sanawari, Jafari Msechu another driver, Prosper, a mechanic and one "Mannu" an alleged hard core criminal of Ngarenaro. The gang had arrived at the scene in a pick up vehicle with plate numbers TZ 99056 being driven by Msechu but owned by one, Emmanuel Mamkwe. A seventh suspect, identified as Simon Mrema managed to hide himself between mail parcels thus escaping death by a close shave. He was however arrested later that morning. Meanwhile, an unidentified man was beaten to death at the Mount Meru Hospital mortuary, after being caught while trying to steal a bicycle. The suspect, apparently, was among the thousands of Arusha residents who flocked the morgue to witness and identify the bodies of the six dead robbery suspects. Photos in Grisly 'Blood Harvest': Murdered armed robbery suspects (Warning: Page contains graphic images of dead bodies - Editor)
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