Form Four student arrested over child abduction
Ms Joy Lekimain in Maralal Town after she was reunited with her son, who had been abducted. With her is the child’s uncle, Mr Mike Lekimain (left).PHOTO | GODFREY OUNDOH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The Maralal Day Mixed School student was tracked and seized in Chang’aa Estate by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
- Samburu County Police Commander Francis Kumut said they had received a report about the disappearance of the child on August 24.
- According to the police, the accused kidnapped the boy and fled with him when the parent, a single mother, was away.
- Ms Joy Lekimain, a teacher at a local school, said she was informed by her house help about the disappearance of her son.
A Form Four student has been arrested in Nyahururu Town in connection with the abduction of a three-year-old child in Maralal, Samburu County.
The Maralal Day Mixed School student was tracked and seized in Chang’aa Estate by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations six days later.
The suspect was taken to court and denied the charge before Maralal Principal Magistrate Charles Ndegwa, who ordered he be remanded in custody for a week to assist police in investigations.
The student, who is a relative of the three-year-old, is said to have committed the crime last Tuesday before he asked for a ransom of Sh170,000 from the mother.
Speaking soon after the child and his family were reunited, Samburu County Police Commander Francis Kumut said they had received a report about the disappearance of the child on August 24, and launched investigations into the matter.
“Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have been tracking the suspect. He was traced to a rented house in Nyahururu Town, where he had gone into hiding,” said Mr Kumut.
He urged families to report individuals they are suspicious about.
INTOXICATED THE MINOR
According to the police, the accused kidnapped the boy and fled with him when the parent, a single mother, was away.
“He is suspected of having intoxicated the minor before he travelled to his hideout in Nyahururu Town, some 226 kilometres from Maralal, where he started calling the victim’s mother, demanding Sh170,000 ransom. He gave a five-day deadline and threatened to harm the minor if the parent failed to comply with his order,” said the police boss.
Ms Joy Lekimain, a teacher at a local school, said she was informed by her house help about the disappearance of her son.
“I was told that my son had gone missing while playing with other children within our compound. For a week, I have been living in agony,” she told the Nation, adding that the suspect started calling her a day after her son disappeared, demanding ransom and threatening to kill him if she failed to abide by the directive.
She said she had sent the suspect a total of Sh2,500 before he was arrested.
