Police have arrested at least five people who are being held at the Special Investigation Division–SID headquarters in Kireka, Kira Municipality in Wakiso District for allegedly kidnapping a boy from Tororo District.
According to police reports, the suspects reportedly kidnapped 11-year-old Richard Bunywelo, a pupil at Tororo Education Centre on his way from school last week before driving him to Wabigalo, Makindye Division, in Kampala.
The victim was later rescued by a joint security team comprising Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence –CMI, Flying Squad Unit –FSU and Crime Intelligence –CI on Sunday evening.
Fred Enanga the Police Spokesperson explains that the kidnap victim was being held in the home of one of the suspects identified as Charles Bbaale as other accomplices demanded for ransom of Shillings 5 million from his parents.
The child’s parents received a phone call asking them to send Shillings 5 million without delay if they still wanted to see their child alive.
However, Bunywelo’s parents rushed to Tororo police station and filed a case of kidnap and shared the contacts of the person who had called them demanding for ransom.
The police Flying squad swung into action and though the pseudo caller said he was within Tororo, they noticed the signal was distant from telecommunication boosters in Tororo, forcing them to advise Bwenyolo’s parents not to send money to the kidnappers but keep negotiating to buy time.
Later, the kidnappers called using a different line, which was discovered to be registered in the name of Catherine Nabifwo, a resident of Nsambya in Kampala and the FSU team in Tororo alerted their counterparts in Kampala and CMI.
The signals of the call from one of the callers who, was later identified as Isaac Ofwono alias Swaib Lukyamuzi, a stepbrother to the victim, were tracked to Wabigalo suburb of Kampala, leading to the arrests.
According to Enanga said in total, the team arrested five suspects who are now locked up at SID as they wait to be transferred to Tororo District where they face charges of kidnap with intent to procure a ransom.
They are identified as; Isaac Ofwono alias Swaib Lukyamuzi, Charles Bbaale Charles, Catherine Nabifwo, Robert Kakeeto and Alex Kikubwabwe.
