Police in Imenti North, Meru County, have arrested three 17-year-olds for allegedly orchestrating a fake kidnapping and demanding a KSh6 million ransom from the family of one of the “victims.”
The three, two males and a female, staged the kidnapping of the girl in Kainginyo area in a scheme to extort money from her own parents.
The plot unraveled on September 24, after the family reported their daughter missing to the Meru Police Station.
Officers immediately launched a manhunt to locate the girl, as the desperate family negotiated with the supposed kidnappers but failed to secure her release.
However, detectives from Imenti North soon uncovered the truth: the girl, had conspired with her two male friends to fake her abduction in an attempt to secure the large ransom.
Through investigative work, the trio was tracked down to a hideout in Kainginyo, where police also found 20 rolls of marijuana.
Jane and her accomplices were arrested and are now being held at Igoji Police Station, awaiting arraignment on charges of conspiracy to defraud and possession of narcotics.
The girl’s family expressed relief at her safe return but were shocked by the elaborate scheme.
Authorities have reiterated their warning against such dangerous and misguided attempts to get rich quickly, stressing the legal consequences that follow such actions.
