A General Service Unit officer and two civilians were on Friday arrested in Mombasa for abducting a Safaricom employee.
Ms Linda Baya, left her work place in Malindi town at around 6.40pm Friday before she was kidnapped.
Ms Baya arrived at her home on a motorbike when she was approached by Police Constable Kelvin Komora at her gate. A few metres from her house was a car with two occupants. The officer informed her that the occupants of the car wanted to see her.
CAR HIRE BUSINESS
“The woman (Ms Baya) went to the car and was asked by Ms Grace Wairimu who was known to her, to get into the vehicle,” said Mombasa Urban DCI boss Anthony Muriithi in Kizingo.
Ms Wairimu, who operates a car hire business, had allegedly lent Ms Linda Sh500, 000 to be paid with Sh100, 000 interest.
According to police reports, Ms Baya failed to pay the money before the matter was reported at Malindi Police Station. The two had engaged their lawyers to have the matter settled.
However, on the Friday evening, Ms Wairimu is reported to have contacted her friend Omar Mwanguze who works at Huduma Centre in Mombasa.
An officer privy to the matter told Nation that Mr Mwanguze is believed to have reached out to Mr Komora, who was on leave, to help them out. The three forcefully took Ms Baya towards Mombasa County.
“Ms Baya thought she was being taken to Malindi Police Station, but she got terrified when her ‘abductors’ proceeded towards Mombasa and raised alarm by texting her company’s security guard,” said Mr Muriithi.
DETAINED
The security guard reached to his colleagues in Mtwapa town who called DCI officers before a chase ensued.
On realising that they were being pursued, the three drove to Central Police Station where they were detained for questioning.
“The three are in our custody and we are continuing with our investigations. Our preliminary findings are that this is a pure civil case which ought to have taken to court, but one woman chose to use another criminal way of getting back her money,” said Mr Muriithi.
The three will be arraigned at Mombasa Law Courts on Monday.