In a recent incident in Nansana, Wakiso district, a mother named Justin Namuleme has become the subject of a police search. She is accused of kidnapping her own 5-year-old son, Adrian Wansireko, as part of an alleged plan to extort Shs 4 million from her husband.
The young boy went missing from his parents’ home last week, prompting Namuleme to inform her husband, Stephen Wasinga, that their son had been kidnapped by unidentified individuals. Wasinga wasted no time and reported the case of child kidnapping to the police, leading to a widespread alert across police stations in the Kampala Metropolitan North region.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Wasinga discovered a letter on their doorstep, demanding Shs 4 million in exchange for their son’s safe return. The letter also explicitly warned against involving the police. Despite this warning, Wasinga chose to inform the authorities about the new development.
Upon consulting with the police, Wasinga was advised to bring his wife to the police station to provide an explanation of how their child had been taken from their home, particularly since they had been together during the incident.
Namuleme stated at the police station, “I did not see the people who took our son because he was in the compound. It appears these individuals were nearby and closely monitoring my movements. I implore my husband to send the money to ensure the safety of our child.”
As the investigation unfolded, police officers decided to engage with the alleged kidnappers by requesting specific details for the child’s recovery after sending the ransom. During the initial attempt, they discovered that the provided telephone number was not operational, causing concern for Wasinga.
In a surprising twist, Namuleme assured her husband that the telephone number would become active again shortly, which indeed happened, leaving Wasinga perplexed. He immediately reported this development to the police.
During further questioning, suspicions were raised about how Namuleme knew that the phone number would be reactivated. Eventually, she managed to escape through a back door, but shortly afterward, their child returned home. The boy explained to his father that his mother had placed him on a motorcycle that brought him back. Namuleme has since fled, and authorities are actively searching for her.
Wasinga disclosed that his wife had taken out numerous loans for undisclosed reasons, leading him to suspect that she had orchestrated the kidnapping to extort money from him to repay these debts.
The police are now pursuing Namuleme and any potential accomplices involved in keeping the child and providing the telephone number for the ransom. It is evident that others may have been involved in this incident.
In closing, Deputy Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire issued a warning, stating, “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.”
