A couple in Jinja has been arrested for faking a kidnap to solicit money from relatives. Faridah Namugera and her husband, Michael Ngobi, both residents of Buwagi cell in Budondo ward, Northern division, Jinja city, were arrested on Saturday night after confessing and claiming that they only faked the kidnap to raise tuition fees for their four children.
This comes after Ngobi reported to the police that Namugera had been kidnapped by unknown assailants as she went for antenatal services at Budondo Health Centre IV on January 4.
He claimed that Namugera had been bundled up into a waiting Black Noah vehicle, which sped off to an unknown location under the watch of helpless onlookers in the area. Ngobi further added that his wife was taken to a private home in Jami village, Budaka district, where the assailants were using her phone to call him for a ransom of Shs2 million.
However, Ngobi’s information contradicted the details extracted from witnesses who claimed to have seen Namugera freely board a taxi to the Amber Court stage in the southern division of Jinja city before jumping onto a motorcycle taxi (boda boda), which sped off towards the Jinja-Iganga highway.
Following these parallel reports, the police mobilized Shs 1.4 million, teamed up with flying squad personnel and senior trackers, where GPS coordinates confirmed that Namugera was in Namulesa ward, in the Northern division, in Jinja city.
Kiira regional police spokesperson, James Mubi, says that Namugera was found at her friend’s house in Namulesa ward on Saturday night.
The duo is currently detained at Buwenge central police station, where they are facing three counts of faking a kidnap, causing tension in the public, and providing the police with misleading information.
