A 23-year-old medical student is in custody after he staged his own kidnapping to get money from his parents.
Edwin Kamau, a student at Makindu Medical Training College, is said to have disappeared on Sunday before blocking his father’s noumber on his phone.
He then called his mother claiming that he had been kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding a sh.70,000 ransom to set him free.
“His distraught parents reported the matter to police officers who immediately launched a manhunt for the kidnappers,” said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
“However, the calls persisted with Kamau telling his mother that his kidnappers were on the verge of eliminating him,” added the DCI.
His parents sent sh.10,000 via mobile money on Wednesday.
Kamau then used the sh.10,000 to go clubbing with a woman who allegedly laced his drink with unknown substance and stole the money.
He then called his parents on Thursday after regaining consciousness, demanding for more money.
His parents then sent him an additional sh.40,000 which Kamau withdrew and hid inside his shoes.
“By this time, detectives had closed in on him. Upon questioning, Kamau said he had squandered money meant for his last semester’s school fees and was wondering how he would raise money in order to sit for his exams,” said the DCI.
During his arrest, police recovered sh.38,600 from the suspect.
Kamau also revealed that two other students had also staged their own kidnappings and that their parents had already paid their ransom.
