The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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A 25-year-old man was arrested in Kajiado after allegedly faking his own kidnapping and demanding a Sh100,000 ransom from his sister.
The suspect, who had reportedly lost his entire November salary to gambling, was apprehended on Friday following an abduction report filed at the Kajiado police station.
The man staged the abduction by hiding in a lodging in Kitengela, where he spent hours communicating with his family, demanding the ransom. He was found by detectives with ropes tied around his arms and legs and a bloody bandage gagging his mouth, a setup police believe was intended to pressure his family into acting quickly.
The family had reported the kidnapping on Thursday night, claiming that the man had been abducted by two men posing as good Samaritans offering him a ride in a Toyota Probox.
Acting on the report, detectives traced the alleged victim to the lodging and rescued him.
Upon questioning, police uncovered that the kidnapping was a plot to extort money from the family, orchestrated by the man after losing his salary to gambling. Police recovered Sh10,100 in cash, the suspect’s phone, and evidence including a scalpel blade and bandages used to stage the injury.
The man had sent pictures of the fake injury to his sister, claiming that his captors had harmed him. He was handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Kajiado for legal action.
This incident adds to a growing trend of fake kidnappings being staged to extort money from relatives. In October, three teenagers in Meru were arrested for staging a similar kidnapping to demand Sh6 million.
