Police hot on trail of officer who fled after raping daughter
Detectives are pursuing leads into the escape of a defilement suspect who escaped to neighbouring Tanzania after getting wind of his impending arrest.
The suspect, a police officer on suspension, is on the run after his daughter accused him of defiling her in November and later locking her up for almost a week at the Isebania Police Station.
RAPE CLAIMS
Kuria West police chief Benard Muriuki said the suspect has switched off all his mobile phones making it hard to track him.
Police had been close to arresting him after wananchi tipped them off about his whereabouts, but he managed to evade the dragnet and cross into Tanzania.
“It seems there’s someone feeding him with information on police operations,” Mr Muriuki said. This comes as the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (Ipoa) launched investigations over the rape claims.
The officer reportedly defiled his 12-year-old daughter on November 1 and locked her up in the cells with the help of his colleagues in order to conceal evidence.
From Wednesday to Friday last week, Ipoa officers camped in Isebania Town, visiting the minor and her grandmother at a guardian’s home, where the two took refuge following the incident.
Detectives have begun reviewing the matter. Mr Muriuki said the suspect had been arrested and charged on two separate occasions last month but the case flopped after prosecution cited lack of evidence.
The Standard Seven pupil had, however, maintained that her father defiled her at their home in Nyabohanse after luring her into his bedroom.
LOCKED UP
She had kept her bloodstained clothes as evidence. The minor, who was by then staying with her grandmother, had gone to her father’s house to collect school fees. After the incident, she said she ran to Nyabohanse Police Post, where she reported the matter.
She said her attempts to have the suspect arrested were futile after officers turned against her and locked her up in the cells in a bid to shield their colleague.
The girl said a female police officer called her father and area chief and tried to persuade her to forgive him.
She was then moved to Isebania Police Station, where she was locked up in a cell for two hours, then taken to Nyayo Hospital where she was tested and given medication.
The minor stayed in police custody for six days, sharing the cold floor with adults. The officers consistently allowed the man to see his daughter. He constantly visited in an attempt to coerce her into dropping the case.
Her guardian has claimed that he is living in a state of perpetual fear after receiving threats from the suspect’s relatives.
The victim is yet to record statements with the police following the threats.