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One nabbed over killing of Barrick Gold Mine truck driver
2008-05-10 10:59:59
By Correspondent Njonanje Samwel
Police in Mara Region are holding one person, Elias Samwel, over the killing of a dump truck driver, Steven Dickson, alleged to have been killed this week while on duty at the Barrick`s North Mara Gold Mine.
Mara Regional Police Commander David Saibulu told `The Guardian` in a telephone interview yesterday that law enforcers were holding Samwel after preliminary investigations indicated that he allegedly stabbed Dickson to death in an incident which occurred on Tuesday night at the mining site.
``We are holding one suspect, Elias Samwel, in connection with the murder of a dump truck driver. He will appear in court to answer charges of murder when investigations into the killing are complete,`` said Saibulu.
RPC Saibul explained that on Tuesday night he was informed that a dump truck driver working with the mine had been stabbed to death by an unidentified person while at work.
``Eye witnesses told the police that they saw a person wearing mine uniforms fighting with the deceased in the driver`s cabin, but after a few seconds he dropped down and the dump truck lost control,`` he said.
He said a team of police officers was deployed to the scene of the incident where they mounted a manhunt for the person behind the killing and managed to apprehend Samwel.
On Wednesday, the mine`s general manager, Kelvin Moxham, told `The Guardian` by telephone from Mara that Dickson was stabbed to death by an unidentified person.
``A security vehicle on patrol noticed the truck was veering off the road, and when the security patrol personnel approached the truck they noticed two people fighting in the driver`s cabin,`` narrated Moxham.
According to him, the suspected killer jumped off the truck and fled from the scene. The security patrol personnel moved in immediately and found Dickson unconscious in the driver`s cabin. The suspect is yet to be apprehended.
``The security team called in a supervisor, paramedics and an emergency response team but, unfortunately, Dickson had already passed away. Medical personnel revealed three stab wounds including a severed artery,`` added the manager.
He said that the truck was cordoned off and local authorities were notified.
``Local Police are working closely with Barrick in the investigation of the death,`` he said.
Moxham said the management of the mine had cancelled night and morning shifts out of respect for the deceased.
He added: ``While this is still being treated as an isolated incident, it must be noted that NMGM was recently forced to shut down part of its operations briefly following an invasion by more than 1,000 intruders in its ore stockpiles.``
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