Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation(DCI) on Sunday morning nabbed a child trafficking suspect who had been initially on their radar but had been evading security agencies in Nairobi.
The officers drawn from the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit and detectives from Kabete Police Station nabbed the suspect from their hideout in Kabete where she was hiding.
They also rescued two children who the suspect had stolen at the time of her arrest and taken then to her hideout in Kabete, Nairobi.
According to the DCI, the sleuths acted on intelligence after a report emerged of a child who had been stolen from a home in Kakamega County on June 6, 2024.
In a statement, the DCI revealed that the suspect, who is a woman, had played out a web of deceit by convincing a farm hand that she was taking the child in question for registration on a sponsorship program before fleeing.
She lied that the program would benefit the child and her family with a stipend of Ksh9,000 every month.
‘’On the ill-fated day, the suspect spun a web of deceit, convincing the shamba boy that she was taking the child to Kakamega to be registered in a sponsorship program promising a monthly stipend of Ksh9,000. However, the suspect vanished with the child without a trace, leaving the family in despair,’’ DCI revealed in a statement.
According to the DCI detectives involved in the operation, their efforts to track down the suspect paid off after identifying her hideout.
‘’After relentless investigations, the officers' efforts paid off when they successfully rescued the victim alongside another victim, apprehending the suspect in the process,’’ DCI added.
The suspect was confirmed to have been placed in police custody as the officers wind up on investigations before they present her in a court of law to face charges.
Subsequently, the DCI maintained that its detectives will remain resolute in protecting children from any form of trafficking.
Cases of child trafficking have been on the rise in the recent past, raising concerns over the safety of children.
The syndicates have been mainly operating in the regions of Western, Rift Valley, and Nairobi.
In June this year, three suspects of child trafficking were corned and lynched by members of the public in Butere Kakamega County.
