Kenyan Man Accused of Mumbai Stabbing Spree Granted Bail After Three Years in Jail

Geoffrey Kimuyu, a Kenyan national accused of attacking eight pedestrians in Mumbai in June 2022, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on May 9, 2025, following three years of pre-trial detention. 

On June 1, 2022, Kimuyu is alleged to have initiated a series of attacks near the Azad Maidan police station, beginning with an assault on a passerby. The victim sustained injuries to the shoulder and face. Authorities claim that Kimuyu then proceeded to attack seven additional individuals in the immediate vicinity. Subsequently apprehended, he faces multiple charges including attempted murder, causing simple hurt, and causing grievous hurt.

Defence lawyer Munira Palanpurwala argued that Kimuyu was suffering from mental health issues at the time of the incidents and that he had undergone treatment at the Regional Mental Hospital in Thane. Further, inconsistencies in witness statements were cited as reasons to reconsider his continued detention.

Justice Milind Jadhav of the Bombay High Court acknowledged the concerns presented by the defence, particularly the extensive period Kimuyu had spent incarcerated without the commencement of his trial. 

Justice Jadhav stated that continued detention would infringe upon Kimuyu’s fundamental right to a speedy trial. Kimuyu was released on a personal bond of 20,000 Indian rupees (approximately Ksh30,294). The ruling draws attention to systemic issues within India’s judicial system, including prison overcrowding and protracted legal proceedings that result in undertrial prisoners remaining incarcerated for extended periods. The right to a speedy trial, a cornerstone of Indian law, aims to prevent undue hardship arising from indefinite pre-trial detention.

Kimuyu’s release coincides with increased scrutiny of foreign nationals involved in criminal activities within India. In a separate incident, just days before Kimuyu’s bail, a Kenyan woman transiting through Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle liquid cocaine. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) reported the seizure of 1.57 litres of the drug, concealed within bottles of moisturising lotion, with an estimated value of ₹15.71 crore (approximately Ksh238 million). 

The woman was immediately arrested under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The DRI has initiated investigations to identify the intended recipient of the narcotics and uncover the broader smuggling network involved. Officials noted that the method of concealment, disguising liquid cocaine as lotion, reflects evolving tactics in illicit drug trafficking.