The Shopping Receipt that Led Police to Unravel Grisly Murder Mystery
Deka Abdinoor Gorone, the victim, and the suspect Hashim Dagane Muhumed.
A shopping receipt from a leading supermarket played a pivotal role in identifying a woman who was brutally murdered, her body boiled, and then discarded at the Langata cemetery. The victim, Deka Abdinoor Gorone, left her California estate and headed to Lavington, where her killer, Hashim Dagane Muhumed, awaited in a short-stay room. After checking in, she visited a nearby supermarket, made a purchase using her mobile phone, and pocketed the receipt. CCTV footage captured her movements.
Police believe the bones found dumped on October 31 at the entrance of Lang'ata cemetery belong to Deka. Detectives noted that the bones appeared freshly boiled, with flesh meticulously removed, suggesting a chemical might have been used in the process. The motive remains unclear, investigators said. At the crime scene, police recovered the crucial receipt from the supermarket. Her body and personal items were wrapped in a black paper bag. The receipt, containing the supermarket's name, time of purchase, payment method (via M-Pesa), and the mobile number used, led police to identify Deka Abdinoor Gorone.
Authorities visited the supermarket in Nairobi's central business district and retrieved data on the transaction. They traced the mobile number used for the purchase to Deka. Her family had reported her missing on October 24 at California Police Station and confirmed that the woman in the CCTV footage was Deka. An analysis of Deka’s mobile phone records revealed frequent communication with Hashim Dagane Muhumed, the prime suspect in the murders of a mother, her daughter, and her niece in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Detectives tracked Deka’s last movements to an apartment in Lavington where she was with Hashim.
On Thursday, police recovered Deka’s shoes, handbag, and other valuables in Kilimani, along with a panga believed to have been used in the murder. Hashim was captured on CCTV leaving the apartment on October 31 with two bags, suspected to contain Deka's remains, which were later found at Lang'ata cemetery. Hashim, who had been hiding in Eastleigh and Lavington, was arrested on Sunday in Eastleigh after nearly two weeks on the run. Despite linking him to the murders of the three family members, he continued to elude capture by frequently changing his location and phone numbers.
An informer tipped off the police, leading to an intensified hunt. On Saturday, November 2, CCTV footage captured Hashim walking out of a building in Eastleigh. An extensive manhunt and forensic trails tracked his movements until he surrendered on Sunday, after realizing the police were closing in. Authorities found Hashim in possession of several fake documents, including a Kenyan ID. Investigations revealed he had previously served as a regional police officer in Ethiopia before moving to Kenya, where he worked as a driver in various Eastleigh schools.
Hashim is now being interrogated to determine his motive and locate any remaining evidence, including Deka’s mobile phone and other valuables. The police are also seeking the owner of the Lavington apartment, who went into hiding after discovering the crime scene and attempting to cover it up. It is only a matter of time before he faces charges, police said.
