The Kampala Metropolitan Police have arrested four individuals, including a maid and her boyfriend, in connection with the kidnapping of a 3-year-old girl from her home in Luwafu zone, Makindye division.
The arrest comes after the child’s father, identified as John Claud Byakagaba, a Congolese refugee, reported the incident to Katwe Police Station last week, following the suspects demanding a UGX 20 million ransom.
During a weekly presser held on Monday, September 30, 2024, at the police headquarters in Naguru, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson said Byakagaba’s wife left their residence at 12 p.m., leaving the child behind with a maid identified as Mary Kansiime, aged 21. He added that shortly after, an unknown individual contacted Byakagaba demanding ransom, claiming to have kidnapped both the maid and his daughter and were in Sudan at the time.
According to Owoyesigyire, the police responded swiftly, tracking Kansiime and her boyfriend, Polycarp Bulamba—a Congolese national to Nakiyunguzi zone, Luwafu Parish, where they were apprehended.
“We found there four people. The two suspects, the lady and the boyfriend, and two other people whom we also brought to police. We are also trying to ascertain whether they have any linkage to the kid,” Owoyesigyire noted.
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He further cautioned the parents to do due diligence before hiring maids, as they may be involved in such criminal activities and also collaborate with other criminals.
“Luckly for this child, we were able to rescue the child very fast because the parents were able to report this to us very fast,” Owoyesigyire added.
Kidnappings among children are on the rise in the Makindye division. On September 8, 2024, police arrested a woman, only identified as Nalubiri, in a rented home in Katwe parish, after kidnapping a toddler during a Sunday church service in Kisenyi, Kampala. This calls for further investigations to find out the motives of the kidnappers in the area.
