Detectives pose as child buyers to arrest duo

A man and a woman from Kayole have been brought before the court after they were apprehended by detectives who posed as potential buyers for the child they had abducted.

Teresia Moraa and James Otieno were charged with child theft on August 13. Otieno, as indicated in the details, was responsible for seeking potential clients.

The suspects are accused of unlawfully taking the child, referred to as AMA, from their parent with the intention of depriving the mother, EMM, of her rightful care and custody of the child.

The two were apprehended at Shujaa Mall in Kayole by officers from the DCI. The officers had approached Moraa and Otieno under the guise of wanting to buy a child for Sh100,000, acting on intelligence.

An officer had negotiated with the two individuals, proposing to buy the child. Allegedly, the suspects had agreed to proceed with the transaction, but they were apprehended upon finalising the deal.

The four-year-old child was playing outside when he was abducted. The mother inquired and was informed that an unfamiliar woman had taken him away. Moraa had been seen outside their gate earlier.

The child's mother reported the incident to the police. Initially, she was advised to wait for 24 hours before filing a missing person report.

The following morning, she went to the police station and officially filed a missing person report. However, she was then informed that a young boy had been rescued from two individuals who were trying to sell him.

The mother then identified the child as hers and recorded a statement with the DCI before the two were charged. 

Otieno and Moraa denied the charge and were released on a Sh200,000 bond. The case will be mentioned on September 22.