Detectives have rescued two university students who were abducted after being lured by a female suspect and confined in an Airbnb.
In a statement on Thursday, November 2, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations DCI said the victims were rescued from the confines of an apartment in Elgon View, Kitengela, Machakos County.
The rescue came after an intense effort led by the DCI's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau detectives after they were reported missing on October 27, 2023.
According to the DCI, the victims, two male students, were ensnared and held captive by the suspects, identified as Brian Ombasa Omoso, aged 25, and Humphrey Hinga, aged 22.
The perpetrators allegedly collaborated with a female accomplice, operating under the identity 'Debbie Zablon.'
"The suspects, Brian Ombasa Omoso, 25 and Humphrey Hinga, 22 who have since been ushered into our cells are believed to have been working jointly with the female dangerous damsel on the loose to identify and lure targeted victims, in their no-sweat approach to soft life," the statement read in part.
The suspects had allegedly demanded a ransom of Ksh6 million from the parents of the kidnapped students.
The woman, using a stolen ID card reported missing at Lang'ata Police Station, is said to have arranged the meeting with the victims in Nairobi. The rendezvous led to the surrender of the students to their male captors.
The DCI said the suspects used various deceptive tools, including a simulated pistol, a dagger, subscriber SIM cards employed to contact the victims' parents, counterfeit vehicle registration plates, and an assortment of tools recovered from the hostage location.
"An imitation of a pistol, a dagger, subscriber sim cards used to contact the parents, fake front and rear car registration plates (KDD 881M) believed to have been used during their transportation and assorted tools were also recovered from the hostage room," DCI stated.
The search for the female suspect, however, remains ongoing as law enforcement intensifies efforts to locate her.
