WAKISO – Police in Kampala are hunting for a woman who allegedly kidnapped her own son in a bid to extort Shs4 million from her husband.
According to Police, Justin Namuleme last week informed her husband, Stephen Wasinga, that their 5-year-old son, Adrian Wansireko, 5, had been kidnapped from their home in Nansana, Wakiso district, by unknown assailants.
Wasinga then filed a case of child kidnapping with the police. However, Wasinga later found a letter on their doorstep, instructing him to send Shs4 million if he wished to have his son returned safely.
“The letter warned me not to involve the police. Nevertheless, I went back to inform the police about this new development,” Wasinga said.
Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, said their officers decided to trick the alleged kidnappers by requesting specific details on how to recover the child after sending the money.
During the initial attempt, it was discovered that the provided telephone number was not operational, which raised more suspicion.
“However, Wasinga was taken aback when his wife assured him not to worry, claiming that the telephone number would be active in a few minutes. Indeed, the number became operational, leaving the father perplexed. He immediately informed our officers about the situation,” Owoyesigyire said.
Police officers began questioning Namuleme over the telephone number.
“As she continued to be interrogated, she managed to escape through a back door. Shortly afterward, the child returned home. The boy informed his father that his mother had placed him on a motorcycle that brought him back home. The wife has since fled, but we are actively searching for her,” Owoyesigyire stated.
Wasinga disclosed that his wife had obtained numerous loans for undisclosed reasons, leading him to suspect that she had orchestrated the kidnapping as a means to extort money from him to repay these debts.
“We’ve noticed several people coming to our home inquiring about my wife and demanding money from her. I do not understand the reason for these loans, and now I am suspicious that she intended to acquire money through ransom to clear her debts,” Wasinga remarked.
Owoyesigyire noted that they are currently in pursuit of Namuleme and any potential accomplices since it is evident that others were involved in keeping the child and providing the telephone number for the ransom. “We want to caution individuals against using kidnapping as a means to extract money from spouses, family members, or friends. It is a criminal act, and anyone apprehended will face legal consequences,” Owoyesigyire warned.
