How child theft suspects were busted attempting to sell four-year-old minor
Two people who were arrested in Kayole, Nairobi while allegedly attempting to sell a four-year-old child are facing charges of stealing a child contrary to section 174 (1) (a) of the Penal Code.
The two, Teresia Moraa, who is suspected to have stolen the male child outside the minor’s mother’s house in Kayole, and James Otieno, who was allegedly aiding the first suspect to find a customer, were arrested August 13 by officers form the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) who were posing as potential buyers.
The suspects are accused of fraudulently taking the child referred to as A.M.A in court papers from his parent with intent to deprive the mother of her lawful care and possession of the child.
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They were arrested at the Shujaa Mall in Kayole by DCI officers who approached them pretending they wanted to buy the child after receiving intelligence.
A detective had negotiated with the two that they would buy the child at Sh100,000 and the suspects had allegedly agreed to offer the child for sale before they were arrested after sealing the deal.
The child was playing outside when he was stolen. When the minor’s mother asked her child’s friend about his whereabouts she was informed that an unidentified woman had been seen walking away with the boy. The mother said she remembered seeing Ms Moraa outside their gate earlier on.
The mother informed her relatives and neighbours before reporting the matter to the police where she was told to file a missing person after 24 hours.
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She returned to the station the next day around 10am to file the report and she was informed that there was a boy who had been rescued from two people who were selling him. The mother identified the child as hers and recorded a statement with the DCI over the matter.
They accused persons denied the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Gerald Mutiso of the Makadara Law Courts. They were released on a bond of Sh200,000 with one surety of a similar amount without an option of a cash bail.
An area resident who saw Ms Moraa within the estate with the child just before she was arrested has been listed as witness in the case alongside the child’s mother and the DCI officers who rescued the minor from the two suspects.
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