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New twist emerges on Egerton university student kidnap drama

Simon Akuteka, John Mbau, Elijah Chege

Suspects who abducted Egerton University student Daisy Chebet Barno.

Photo credit: Nation Media Group

By  Hilary Kimuyu

Nation Media Group

Fresh, albeit conflicting, details have emerged of how an Egerton University student kidnapped six days ago was rescued.

Ms Daisy Chebet Barno, a fourth-year student, was abducted by three men at Kabarak in Nakuru County on Thursday and driven to Nairobi.  

According to a police statement, Ms Barno was rescued on the Eastern Bypass near KFC. Officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (Crib) headquarters, and detectives of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) from Nakuru and Ruiru intercepted a red Mazda Demio vehicle at 8pm on Monday night.

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“The victim, namely, Daisy Chebet Barno, was rescued being safe and in good health,” the police report said.

On Tuesday, however, DCI in a statement had said that the victim was rescued at an Airbnb apartment in Ruiru, where a female friend of Ms Barno, Ms Faith Mwende had conspired with her boyfriend and others to kidnap her and demand ransom from her family.

Read: Betrayal in the city: Abducted Egerton University student rescued in Ruiru 

Mr Simon Philip Amayum Akuteka, a Rwandese who has been charged with several cases of stealing motor vehicles in Nairobi and Kisumu, was arrested.

Also arrested was John Mungai Mbau, who also has several cases of stealing motor vehicles pending before court.

Mr Elijah Chege Gitau, a resident of Witeithie, was also among those arrested.

After the arrests, police seized tape, a rope, assorted mobile phones, several sim cards and the identity card of the victim from the said suspects.

Police are pursuing more suspects as well as seeking to recover the victim’s valuables, among them a laptop and mobile phone.

“They drove to Ruiru to OJ Restaurant where they booked a two-bedroom Airbnb and locked Ms Barno in one of the bedrooms. Mwende, who had joined them, took the other bedroom where they made merry with her partner after Ms Barno’s relatives had sent Sh50,000,” DCI had said on Tuesday.

According to DCI, the suspects defied orders to surrender and engaged the officers in a fistfight.

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