KAMULI, UGANDA: The territorial police in Kamuli district are on a hunt for one Waiswa Abdallah Katende accused of strangling a 7-year-old minor to death after failing to get a ransom of three million shillings he asked from his parents.
Police identified the deceased as Isabirye John,7, a son of Mr Muwodi Robert, a resident of Bulungu zone, Busimba Ward, Namwendwa Town council in Kamuli district.
According to the Busoga North Regional Police spokesperson ASP Kasadha Micheal, it is alleged that the deceased went missing on Sunday night, and it later came to be known that he had been kidnapped by Waiswa Abdallah (who was someone unknown at that time.)
Preliminary police findings indicate that Waiswa found the victim at the community borehole at around 08:00 PM and took him to an unknown destination before he started demanding a ransom of Shs 3m from the parents through persistent phone calls.
ASK Kasadha says the demand for ransom went on until yesterday (Monday morning) when he succeeded after negotiating the fee to the figure of Shs 50000 which was raised and sent by the community.
“Having sent the money, the concerned residents started pleading with Waiswa for the possible recovery of the minor. However, the first attempt did not yield as he gave them wrong information. It was after a series of engagements that he directed him to the nearby sugarcane plantation in the same area where the boy was found dead with signs of strangulation,” said ASP Kasadha in a Monday evening police statement.
At the time of the discovery of the minor’s lifeless body, the district community Liaison officer had just arrived on the ground to engage the residents who were threatening to destroy the home of Semakula Isma, father to the suspect.
Kasadha urged members of the public who could be having information that can lead to the arrest of Waiswa Abudallah Katende to avail it to the police as investigations and a manhunt for the suspect intensifies.
At the time of filing the story, the deceased’s body was conveyed to Kamuli general hospital mortuary for an autopsy report and will later be handed to the family for burial.
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