A bungled robbery attempt in Nyeri Town on Thursday resulted in the death of one of two robbers.

The thugs are said to have broken into a retail shop in Ngangarithi Estate at around 3 am. Armed with crude weapons, the criminals stole goods and hid in nearby bushes after a neighbour spotted them.

The married owners of the shop rushed to the retail shop and ganged up with residents to flush out the criminals. Consequently, the robbers scattered in two different directions, with the husband and neighbors chasing after one of them.

Meanwhile, the woman was left behind in the shop where she was reportedly attacked by the second robber. He allegedly attempted to rape her and during the confrontation, the woman reached for a kitchen knife and stabbed the suspect in the neck.

The robber, bleeding profusely, ran off but collapsed and died a few meters from the scene of crime.

Nyeri Central deputy sub-county police commander Bernard Amugune confirmed the incident to Nation. He was quoted as saying, “It is true there was such an incident this morning. We are still processing the information and we will release the details later.”

Police said they recovered the stolen goods and were in pursuit of the second suspect. The body of the deceased was moved to Nyeri County Referral Hospital mortuary.