Kenya taps Interpol to help trail Chinese in kidnap ordeal

Kenya has involved the International Police Organization (Interpol) in identifying and tracking down a Chinese national behind the kidnapping of a fellow Chinese in Athi River, Machakos county.

The kidnappers had demanded a ransom which was then wired to the suspect’s account in China, according to the investigation report.

Already, three General Service Unit (GSU) officers have been arrested and arraigned with detectives securing custodial orders to finalise investigations into the January 8 kidnapping.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has said Constables Fredrick Mwongela Mwololo, Samuel Mwiti and Kimwele Musyoki were arrested in Nairobi a week after the incident, as a manhunt for the Chinese kidnapping mastermind continues.

The DCI said the probe unearthed an international criminal ring, where victims are only targeted after a background check on their financial status.

The victim in this case, a Chinese national, was waylaid on his way to work, during which two cars blocked his vehicle before the suspects cuffed him and sped off towards Machakos direction.

“After hours of disappearance, concerned friends reported to the DCI of the businessman who never arrived at his workplace as expected, where detectives forensically traced him to Mua Hills in Machakos,” the DCI said.

As the search continued, the victim was later released after which he narrated his ordeal to the detectives. It was then established that five men including a Chinese national who was the mastermind, a taxi driver and the three police officers had executed the kidnapping.

They took the victim to Mua Hills and upon arriving there, the mastermind called the victim’s family back in China demanding for a yet to be established amount of ransom which was wired to a bank account in China.

“After money was deposited, the gang’s accomplices in China confirmed that the family had complied, and the victim was released,” the DCI added.

The DCI’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) detectives initiated a systematic probe into the abduction right from Mombasa Road, where two vehicles, a taxi Registration number KDL 070P and another vehicle were identified ‘as vehicles of interest’.

Taxi traced

On Friday last week, the taxi was traced to Rongai, Kajiado County and the owner arrested. During interrogation, the taxi owner revealed that on that particular day, he did not have the car as he had taken his children to school. He added that his friend had borrowed the car and returned it later.

Investigations revealed that the named suspect, who is still at large, was a former staff at the victim’s company. It was further established that there had been constant communication between him and the arrested GSU officers. Forensic analysis also placed the four at the scene of crime.

“Further investigations has also led to the recovery of the other vehicle which has been detained at Mlolongo Police Station,” the DCI said. “As search for the master planner in the kidnapping of fellow Chinese national continues, Interpol operations have also been launched to pursue the gang’s accomplices in China.”

In February 2020, four people including an Administration Police officer were shot dead during an operation to rescue a Chinese national who had been abducted by the four in Nairobi’s Jamhuri estate.

“They had demanded $1,000,000 (Sh100 million) from the Chinese man,” the then DCI boos George Kinoti said.

They had locked up the Chinese man at a house, where they were trailed by detectives. The DCI said the  four men identified themselves as DCI detectives when they picked him up from an office at China Centre. With the help of CCTV cameras, detectives were able to identify the registration number of the vehicle they had used. They later started making telephone calls to his brother demanding $1,000,000 to release him.

“They used several numbers and all were tracked and traced to the house on Ngong Road where they were cornered today,” police said.

A number of rogue officers have been involved in criminal activities, according to reports.

Last week, the High Court ordered the anti-graft body to investigate DCI detectives and another woman over alleged Sh2 million extortion scheme following an application by two Nigerian nationals.

Justice Nixon Sifuna of the Milimani Anti-corruption ordered Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to record statements from two foreigners -Richard Tsado Bala and Lot Ziko Tsado -who are directors of a merchant health supplements company, Vital Quest International.

“I direct the Director of the EACC forthwith to take statements from the applicants (Tsado and Ziko) and thoroughly investigate and take action on the extortion allegations that the applicants have in this. Application made against the DCI officers who have been handling the Applicant, including the allegations regarding of the Sh2 million paid by the applicants,” the judge ordered.