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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The police Flying Squad unit has rescued Hilda Driwalo, a mobile money agent and student of Kampala International University and arrested six suspects in connection to her kidnap. According to the police, the suspects kidnapped Driwalo from Entebbe on Friday last week after inviting her to collect money from her debtors.
They drove and held her hostage in residential premises in Kiwempe zone in Makindye division before calling her brother, Daniel Onzima demanding a ransom of Sh2.3 million payable within two days or else they kill his sister.
A senior police officer at Kabalagala Police station who was part of the investigations told URN that the suspect’s used the victim’s number to reach Onzima. “Luckily he had reported a case here. So it made our work easier, we used advanced technology to track them down, the officer said.
He explains that on Sunday night they team up with detectives from the Criminal Investigations Directorate and raided the suspect’s hideout in Makindye where they rescued the victim and arrested six suspected kidnappers.
He says that they took the kidnap to Mulago National Referral Hospital for a medical checkup before being reunited with her family as they hunt for more suspects. Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, says that one of the suspects was Driwalo’s customer who hoodwinked her with an invitation to collect her debt amounting to Shillings 1 Million.
Those in custody at Kabalagala Police Station are Umuru Katende, Jami Ndagire, Muhammad Mutyaba, Patrick Makanga, Aisha Nasuna and Hannifa Makula. According to Enanga, the suspects have been operating in the areas of Kibuli, Kabalagala and other parts of Makindye.
Cases of kidnap are still high in the country. The 2020 annual crime report compiled by the Criminal Investigations Directorate-CID indicated that 207 cases of kidnaps were reported compared to 159 cases that were registered in 2019, which is a 30 per cent increase.
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