Three people were killed and several others critically injured Monday night by unknown assailants at Miruka Centre in Kisii Central district.

Residents say the assailants stormed a home where funeral arrangements for a family member were going on and ordered the mourners to lie on the floor.

They then proceeded to beat the mourners indiscriminately before ordering three of them to follow them.

The beheaded bodies of the three men were discovered Tuesday morning dumped in Bomburi village. The mourners say the gun wielding gang claimed to be security officers searching for illegal guns.

The macabre killings sent chills within the Kisii region with police urging the locals to volunteer information that might shed some light into the matter.

So far no suspects have been arrested but area OCPD Peter Njenga says investigations have been launched into the killings which are reminiscent of recent incidents in the area where suspected witches and armed thugs were subjected to lynch mobs.

Local leaders have condemned the killings but exonerated community policing committee members from blame.

With the assistance of villagers, West Mugirango chief Duncan Moriasi was able to identify the victims as Jeremiah Bogonko Nyakundi, 44, Pascal Onyiego, 50 and Dominic Obondi Kemoni, 17; all of them from Ng'enyi location in the newly created Marani district.

However a new twist has emerged to the incident with the Nyanza Provincial Police Officer Mr. Njagi Njue saying the three were suspected thugs who were lynched by members of the public.

Mr.Njagi said that the suspects were killed for their alleged involvement in crime in the area.

Mr. Njagi however appealed to members of the public to stop the culture of taking the law into their own hands and instead report suspected criminals to the authorities and allow the law to take its course.