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Kenya

Police break Nairobi kidnap ring

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 3- A fifteen year old boy who was kidnapped on Tuesday was re-united with his family on Friday after police rescued him from his captors in Nairobi’s Dandora estate.

Eugene Nelson Ochieng’ was kidnapped on his way to school in Saika estate by three gunmen who even shot and wounded a man who tried to block their mission.

On Thursday night, police raided a three-storey residential flat where they found the boy and arrested six men and two women.

“I am very happy, I glorify God’s name for helping me through this ordeal,” the seemingly innocent boy said and added: “I hope those people who are out there who have been kidnapped will be rescued by police like they did in my case.”

The boy told police he had survived by feeding on loaves of bread and soda throughout his three days of captivity.

On the day he was kidnapped, the gun men demanded Sh 1 million.

Buru Buru divisional Police chief Kipkemoi Rop and his Kayole counterpart Shadrack Maithya said they had been in touch with the boy’s parents throughout the period their son was held hostage.

“We have been talking to them (parents) and assured them that their son will be saved. We told them not to worry,” Rop said.

Police Spokesman Erick Kiraithe said detectives were able to trace the boy through the help of mobile phone operators who tracked signals of mobile phones used.

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“It was a successful operation, we owe it all to members of the public. We used very sophisticated means to get him,” he said.

“Some of the men who abducted him on the material day were also arrested. The others are those found in the house and we believe they are accomplices,” he told reporters at the Buru Buru police station.

Nearly 60 people living in the three storey residential flat where the boy was rescued from were arrested but Mr Kiraithe said they will be released after recording statements on what they knew about the abduction.

“They are not all suspects. Many of them will be set free as soon as police are satisfied they did not play any role,” he said.

Mr Kiraithe said one of those arrested had been identified as a Mungiki gang leader who also played part in the killing of three CID officers on Saturday night in Athi River.

“The description given clearly fits him. He participated in killing our officers a week ago,” he asserted.

The police spokesman said the eight were being investigated for a series of other murders and carjacking incidents committed in Nairobi lately.

He did not immediately state the charges they were likely to prefer against the arrested suspects.

A senior detective involved in the investigations told Capital News that they were seeking evidence to charge them with murder, robbery with violence and kidnap-related charges.

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“There is strong evidence liking them to murder and robbery with violence,” he said.

Some of them will also stand trial for attempted murder because they shot and seriously wounded a man who tried to block them when they abducted this boy,” the officer said.

The man who suffered injuries to the shoulder is still admitted to the Nairobi hospital.

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