Twins’ kidnappers were friendly: Police
Two girls who were kidnapped earlier this month had expressed desire to be re-united with family before they were rescued on Monday night.
The girls, 14-year-old twins from Peponi, had been locked in a three-bedroom house in Upper Matasia since October 3 when they were abducted on their way to school, said police.
Apparently one of the girls plucked a piece of paper from an exercise book and wrote, “I want to go home, please.”
Disturbing questions
The girl drew on the paper a heart, maybe to indicate that she was missing her family.
Although police confirmed that the two girls were rescued in good health, packets of condoms in two rooms aroused disturbing questions.
“When we rescued the children they were fine. They told us that the kidnappers were friendly, but their parents can take them to hospital just to confirm that they are fine,” said the head of Flying Squad unit Munga Nyale in an interview.
He said it was likely that the kidnappers used to bring women in the house which would explain the presence of assorted condoms.
Ms Zipporah Wanjiku, a neighbour said she used to see a woman and two men come and go.
“There was a man who used to frequent the back of the house a lot. I saw a woman another day who I thought was his wife,” she said.
“Another day I saw two men, but I could not tell whether they were bad people. In fact I thought we had very good neighbours because they were very friendly,” she added.
Other neighbours interviewed said they did not know there were children held hostage inside the house until on Monday night when they heard gunshots in their normally quiet neighbourhood.
“When I heard gunshots I rushed to the house and alerted my boss. I told her that our new neighbours had started fighting,” said Wanjiku, a house help.
The girls used to sleep on the floor on a small mattress which had sufficient beddings while the alleged kidnappers used to sleep in an adjacent bedroom, also on the floor.
The room where the children slept was littered with empty medicine bottles, books, clothes including school-game shorts, a bottle of one-litre soda and a water bottle.
Some cooked spaghetti leftovers were also served in a dish and two spoons used by the two children to feed lay by its side.
Some spectacles and a class merit report written on October 2 were also in the room.
Receipts of transactions
Other stuff found in the room was a packet of biscuits, playing cards, petroleum jelly and tooth brush.
There were fresh vegetables and cooked dagaa fish in the kitchen. Police officers found receipts of transactions and books which they said they would use to conduct their investigations.
Among the nine people already arrested is an ex- administration police officer who is said to have been involved in another unspecified crime.
They were said to have asked the parents for ransom of Sh80 million for the release of the children.