DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 135 suspected juvenile criminals have been arrested in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam, authorities said Monday.
Amos Makala, the Dar es Salaam regional commissioner, said the suspected youth gangsters have been arrested by police since they launched a special crackdown on Sept. 15.
"Most of the 135 arrested suspects are aged between 14 and 30 years," Makala told a news conference, adding that the suspects were engaged in criminal acts, including armed robberies.
On Sunday, the Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander, Jumanne Muliro, announced that police have killed six youths suspected to be part of a chain of juvenile criminals who have wreaked havoc in the commercial capital.
On Friday last week, the Inspector General of Police, Camillus Wambura, declared war on juvenile criminals. Wambura made the declaration a day after Tanzania's parliament urged the government to take urgent measures to curb crimes committed by juvenile criminals, especially in urban centers.
On Wednesday, about 10 juvenile criminals armed with machetes raided a house at Kawe on the outskirts of the commercial capital of Dar es Salaam and killed a sophomore at the University of Dar es Salaam's School of Journalism and Mass Communications, said police.
The juvenile mobsters, operating in groups, have been using machetes to rob people of their valuables, including money, especially in the suburbs of Dar es Salaam. ■