Makindye maid, Congolese boyfriend arrested in sh20m scam

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A house maid and her boyfriend in Luwafu Zone, Makindye Division, have been arrested by crime intelligence for kidnapping a 3-year-old child of her employer who was away from home and demanded ransom of 20 million shillings.

Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, has identified the suspects as Mary Kansiime aged 21 years and her boyfriend Policarpe Bulambo, a 25-year-old Congolese resident of Nakinyuguzi Zone, Luwafu.

Byakagaba Jean-Claude, a 36-year-old Congolese refugee and businessman in Makindye, reported the kidnapping of his 3-year-old daughter, Jane Kasemire. The incident occurred shortly after Byakagaba and his wife left Jane in the care of their maid at their residence over the weekend.

After Byakagaba Jean-Claude and his wife left their Makindye residence, Mary Kansiime’s phone became unreachable. Attempts to contact her failed, and later in the day they received a disturbing call from an unknown number at 9:00 pm but using Kansiime’s phone.

The caller claimed to be holding both Kasemire and Kansiime captive in Sudan, and started demanding a UGX 20 million ransom.

“They alerted police quickly, upon receiving the report, police initiated an investigation and we found that the maid, Kansiime who had been employed by the complainant for approximately 10 months, conspired with her boyfriend, identified as Policarpe Bulambo, to stage the kidnapping,” Owoyesigyire said.

Police investigations have also established that (the curiously named) Bulambo, was the mastermind of the kidnap and collaborated with two other accomplices, who have all been apprehended and the victim safely recovered, and returned to her parents.

“Police would like to remind the public to exercise caution and perform thorough background checks when hiring domestic workers,” Oweyesigire added. “We also urge the public to promptly report similar incidents to the police for swift action and investigations.”