By URN
KAMPALA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: Agnes Namugabo, a housemaid has been arrested on allegations of stealing and attempting to sell off her boss’ 3-year-old daughter for Shs 3 million.
Namugabo, who is currently in custody at Jinja central police station was arrested from the Mailo-Mbili roundabout stage en route to Kidera town council in Buyende district on Saturday night to sell off the minor.
Her boss, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, says that Namugabo disappeared with the minor from Bombo military barracks on Friday evening and switched off her known mobile phone numbers. As a result, the boss teamed up with the Bombo military barracks leadership and police to mount a search for the house help and the minor. The suspect who has since confessed to the crime blames her boss for delayed payment and maltreatment, which had forced her to sell off the child in revenge.
“My friends in the village convinced me that, they would easily get me market to sell off the child in Kidera town council and I would be ferried via lake Kyoga to a safe hideout in Serere district,” she said.
Kiira Regional police spokesperson, James Mubi says that Namugabo was tracked down through the police security cameras and GPS technology. He says that using CCTV footage, police first sighted the suspect at Kampala city-based Nakawa-Spears stage while boarding a commuter taxi en route to Jinja city.
According to Mubi, this prompted detectives to alert traffic police personnel at the different points along the Jinja-Kampala highway who kept inspecting commuter taxis looking out for the minor. Mubi says that four plain-cloth officers intercepted the suspect who had since pitched camp at the Mailo-Mbili roundabout along the Jinja-Kamuli road.
Mubi also says that police also managed to rescue 2½-year-old, Skyler Linda, who was reportedly kidnapped from her home in Budhumbuli West in Jinja City Northern division. According to Mubi, the minor went missing on December 8, 2022, while in the custody of her 16-year-old sister. Kidnappers threatened to kill the minor if her parents failed to pay a ransom of Shs 40 million.
According to Mubi, the minor was rescued from a commuter taxi along the Jinja-Kampala highway, following a tipoff from passengers who raised a distress call when they became suspicious of two middle-aged men who were seen with the missing girl. However, the suspects managed to get away when they realized the police had cornered them.
Mubi has advised parents and guardians to be cautious about the safety and well-being of their children since several evil-minded individuals are targeting to kidnap them for ransom or ritual purposes. Kiira region police now pride in the rescue of five children in one year. The other children are Bushira Mugoya who was rescued in December 2021, Divine Namuganza in February 2022, and Shafiq Ssemambo in November 2022.
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