A mother has been arrested by police in Kampala for orchestrating kidnap of her several years old daughter to demand ransom of five million shillings from the father.
Police on Monday received a report about the alleged kidnapping of a 7-year-old female juvenile whereby the suspect demanded a ransom of Shs 5,000,000 from the victim’s father.
Patrick Onyango the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson said a team of intelligence officers and detectives was dispatched to locate the child and rescue her.
“After tracking the suspect’s location to Kasenge, Nakawuka, near the victim’s home, the team received a call from the suspect, who allowed the victim to speak with her father. The victim was heard crying for rescue, claiming that her captors threatened to kill her,” Onyango said.
Police’s further investigation revealed that the suspect was in contact with the victim’s mother before calling the father.
“A search operation was conducted, and the victim was found alive and unharmed near her mother’s workplace.I t was discovered that the kidnapping was staged by the victim’s mother, Nagadya Teo, and her 20-year-old daughter, Namukwaya Winnie,” Onyango said.
Investigations show the pair used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to disguise their voices and make it seem like a man was making the ransom demands.
“A Tecno phone containing a sim card used to call the complainant was recovered. The mother and daughter were arrested and are facing charges. The police are also searching for the individual who sold them the registered sim card,” police said.
According to police the operation was conducted successfully, with no casualties reported. The duo will face the full force of the law, and further investigations are underway.