Africa-Press – Uganda. The suspect in the kidnap and murder of a seven-year-old boy in Kamuli District allegedly gave his playmates money before riding off with him on a motorcycle, according to a resident’s testimony.
John Waiswa, a resident of Bulungu Zone, Busimba Ward in Namwendwa Town Council, was on Monday found dead in a sugarcane plantation with his hands bound behind his back.
The incident came a day after he had gone missing from his parents’ home.
Mr Michael Kasadha, the Busoga North Region police spokesperson, said they are hunting for a suspect.
“We are hunting for [the suspect] in connection with the kidnap and murder of a minor in Namwendwa, and call for public cooperation that should lead to his arrest to answer charges of kidnap and murder,” Mr Kasadha said.
According to Mr Kasadha, the accused found the victim at a borehole and took him to an unknown destination where he was demanding a Shs3m ransom from the parents through phone calls.
Mr Kasadha added that concerned residents pleaded with the suspect for the possible recovery of the minor until Monday when he accepted Shs50,000 which was raised and sent.
Mr Charles Musumba, a resident, said the suspect picked the deceased on Sunday as he played in his parents’ compound with other children from the neighbourhood.
“The suspect first gave out some money to all the children who were playing with the deceased and told the rest to go back home as he asked the deceased to jump on the motorcycle he rode away,” Mr Musumba said.
He added that the suspect, who is believed to be in his early 20s and was living in the neighbourhood, started calling the boy’s parents while asking for a Shs3m ransom which reduced to Shs700,000, Shs500,000 and later Shs80,000.
According to Mr Musumba, Shs80,000 was mobilised and sent to the suspect, who then asked his parents to check for their son in the nearby sugarcane plantation where he was found dead.
Police have since visited the scene of crime and taken the body for an autopsy, before authorising his burial as investigations continue.
However, angry residents were restrained from burning and razing down the suspect’s parents’ home, whom they claimed had land issues with the deceased’s family but used the boy to get their message across.
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