Kaliro, (UG):- The Territorial Police in Kaliro District have arrested a 27-year-old woman and her close friend for allegedly kidnapping a four-year-old girl, a pupil of Bright Future Namukoge School.
Namukobe Mariam, a resident of Namukoge village, Namugongo Sub-county, Kaliro District, and Babita Irene, a resident of Kiringa, Nawandala Sub-county, Iganga District were arrested after an operation conducted by police in the Busoga North region.
Preliminary investigations reveal that on November 29, 2024, at around 1:00 PM, a boda-boda cyclist identified as Gasita, a resident of the same area, offered to give the victim a ride to school for her end-of-term three break-off.
However, the child never returned home. This led her grandmother, Nakayima Edinansi, to file a report at Kaliro Central Police Station.
The situation escalated when unknown individuals began making ransom demands of UGX 3 million, indicating the child had been kidnapped. Intelligence and investigative efforts pointed to Namukobe as a primary suspect.
Upon her arrest, Namukobe confessed to receiving the victim from Gasita, who is also the child’s uncle. She admitted to hiding the child in a sugarcane plantation until December 1, 2024, when she moved her to Kiringa, Nawandala Sub-county, Iganga District, where her friend Babita Irene was keeping her.
The police recovered the victim from Babita’s custody, and all three [Namukobe, Babita, and the victim] were taken to Kaliro Central Police Station for further investigations.
A serious manhunt for the boda-boda cyclist, Gasita, is ongoing to ensure he is brought to justice as police intensify efforts to close the case and bring all perpetrators to account.
Authorities assured that “the safety and well-being of the child remain paramount as investigations continue.”
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