A Sudanese man was on Wednesday arrested after allegedly masterminding several kidnappings in Nairobi targeting foreign business people.
Haisam Elmkashfi reportedly had a network of operations that supposedly used to get intelligence from the victims' countries before executing well coordinated abductions.
According to Kilimani police boss Peter Katam, the men kidnapped a woman after Mr Elmkashfi disguised himself as a good samaritan willing to show her where to buy iron sheets.
“He is known to me as he had once wanted to be a driver in my company,” Ms Bibian Okumu told the Nation at Pangani Police Station.
The abductors, also wanted suspects in Sudan, demanded a ransom of Sh400,000 deposited in their account only for one of them to be arrested at Co-operative Bank waiting to withdraw.
Ms Bibian was however not off the hook, as the kidnappers later traced her and ordered her to deposit another Sh400,000. When two abductors left for the bank, she informed her daughter to direct the bank to cancel the transaction and call Police.
Police traced the woman's phone signals and killed four kidnappers in a fierce shoot-out while the leader was arrested.
Mr Katam said the man presented himself as an Interpol Officer in a recent abduction which involved a Sudanese businessman at Eastleigh in December.
Mr Elmkashfi allegedly held the man hostage for 17 days and demanded a Sh500,000 ransom. The call was instead tracked by police to an apartment in Eastleigh identified to be under his name, but only his associates, Ahmed Ismail and Mohammed Elmutasim were arrested.
The criminals were also accused of kidnapping another Sudanese businessman who went back home after paying the ransom.
