“Police to Prosecute anyone claiming to have played a role in rescuing 13 girls”-IG Lemmy Kajoba

11

STATEMENT BY THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE ON EVENTS LEADING TO THE RESCUE OF THE THIRTEEN LADIES HELD HOSTAGE IN CHALALA AREA

AS A FOLLOW UP TO OUR EARLIER STATEMENT ISSUED ON 3RD OCTOBER, 2022 CONCERNING THE RESCUE OF THE THIRTEEN LADIES WHO WERE HELD HOSTAGE IN CHALALA AREA, WE NOW WISH TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT THAT LED TO THEIR RELEASE.


PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS INDICATE THAT BETWEEN 17TH MARCH AND 18TH JUNE, 2022, FOUR FEMALE MOBILE MONEY AGENTS WERE ABDUCTED NAMELY; FAITH MULUTI AGED 28, PAMELA CHISUPA AGED 21, PAXINA CHANDA AGED 22, AND MACWANI NALUKUI AGED 21. AND BETWEEN 15TH AUGUST AND 20TH SEPTEMBER, 2022, NINE NURSING STUDENTS FROM A NAMED UNIVERSITY IN CHILANGA DISTRICT WERE ABDUCTED FROM THEIR BOARDING HOUSES.


MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY WISH TO NOTE THAT NOT ALL THESE CASES WERE REPORTED TO THE POLICE AS PARENTS THOUGHT THEIR CHILDREN WERE IN SCHOOL WHILE THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES ASSUMED THAT THE STUDENTS HAD GONE HOME.
AS ALL MAY BE AWARE, THIS IS A MATTER THAT WE HAD PROMISED TO PURSUE UNTIL THE ABDUCTED PERSONS WERE FOUND ALIVE.
AS INVESTIGATIONS INTENSIFIED, INTELLIGENCE GATHERED LED TO THE APPREHENSION OF A NAMED TAXI DRIVER ON SUNDAY 2ND OCTOBER, 2022 AROUND 22:50 HOURS, WHO WAS ONCE USED BY THE ABDUCTORS TO DELIVER A LAPTOP BELONGING TO ONE OF THE ABDUCTED LADIES AS COLLATERAL FOR A SOFT LOAN FROM A MONEY LENDER IN MATERO’S SHADRECK COMPOUND.


THE TAXI DRIVER WAS LATER PICKED BY POLICE AT FAMILY 24 ALONG LUMUMBA ROAD TO HELP WITH INVESTIGATIONS.
UPON BEING INTERVIEWED, THE TAXI DRIVER REVEALED WHERE HE HAD PICKED THE LAPTOP WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE CHALALA CHOPPIES MALL AREA WHERE OFFICERS HAD BEEN CONDUCTING SURVEILLANCE FOR SOMETIME. THIS INFORMATION PROMPTED OFFICERS TO INTENSIFY PATROLS AROUND CHALALA’S CHOPPIES MALL INCLUDING GREG LUNGU AND AUGUSTINE LUNGU ROADS.
ON MONDAY, 3RD OCTOBER, 2022, THE SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE FOR ONE OF THE SUSPECT WAS IDENTIFIED THROUGH WHICH A LADY WHO WAS FREQUENTLY COMMUNICATING WITH THE SUSPECT ON FACEBOOK WAS ALSO IDENTIFIED. IN THEIR COMMUNICATION, THE SUSPECT HAD TRIED TO LURE THE LADY TO VISIT HIM AND HE SHARED HIS LOCATION USING ONE OF THE ABDUCTED LADY’S PHONE WHO AT THE TIME WAS NOT REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED.


ARMED WITH THIS INFORMATION, OFFICERS IN THE COMPANY OF THE LADY AND THE BROTHER WENT TO THE SAME LOCATION. UPON REACHING THE VICINITY, SHE WENT TO THE GATE WHERE SHE MET THE SUSPECT WHO WAS WITHOUT A SHIRT AND ENGAGED INTO A CONVERSATION WHILST POLICE OFFICERS WERE MONITORING FROM A DISTANCE.


UPON REALISING THAT SHE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A MALE PERSON, HE ANGRILY SHOUTED AT HER SAYING HE HAD INSTRUCTED HER TO COME ALONE. HE THEN SENSED DANDER, QUICKLY CLOSED THE GATE AND RAN BACK TO THE HOUSE WHERE HE PICKED A SHIRT AND HURRIEDLY SECURED THE HOUSE WHERE THE ABDUCTED LADIES WERE HELD BEFORE JUMPING THE WALL-FENCE INTO THE NEXT YARD AND POLICE PURSUED HIM.


UPON NOTICING THE PANIC OF THE ABDUCTOR, ONE OF THE LADIES, DORCAS CHUNGWE CEASED THE OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK AND OPEN THE DOOR. WHEN THE DOOR WAS OPEN, DORCAS CAME OUT FIRST AND JUMPED THE FENCE AND THE REST OF THE LADIES CAME OUT EXCEPT THE OTHER THREE WHO COULD NOT MANAGE TO WALK.


ON THE ROADSIDE, DORCAS MET A GOOD SAMARITAN, MR. ELLAM SINKALA OF SHANTUMBU WHO WAS DRIVING ALONG GIVEN LUBINDA ROAD WHO TOOK HER TO GODFREY MIYANDA POLICE POST WHERE SHE REPORTED THAT SHE WAS AMONG THE LADIES THAT WERE HELD HOSTAGE. POLICE IN THE COMPANY OF THE VICTIM AND MR, SINKALA DROVE BACK TO THE SCENE WHERE THEY FOUND THE OTHER LADIES AND PEOPLE HAD GATHERED.


BY THIS TIME, THE OTHER TEAM OF DETECTIVES (PLAIN CLOTHED POLICE OFFICERS) WHO HAD CHASED THE SUSPECTED ABDUCTOR RETURNED TO THE HOUSE FOR INQUIRIES. UPON REACHING THE HOUSE, OFFICERS FOUND THREE BOYS WITH TWO WOMEN WHO WERE HELPING THE REMAINING VICTIMS WHO WERE UNABLE TO WALK ON THEIR OWN. THE ACTIONS OF THE HELPERS CAME AS A RESULT OF THE COMMOTION AND DISTRESS CALLS FROM THE ABDUCTED LADIES.


LATER ON, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE MAN WHO HAD RUN AWAY WAS ONE OF THE SUSPECTS, MATHEWS SIKAONGA, APPREHENDED IN NKEYEMA TOGETHER WITH HIS FELLOW ACCOMPLICE, JAMES BWALYA MULENGA, IN CONNECTION WITH THE ABDUCTION.
WE ARE APPEALING TO THE PUBLIC TO CONTINUE COOPERATING WITH US AS WE STILL HAVE A MAMMOTH TASK OF ARRAIGNING THESE SUSPECTS BEFORE THE COURTS OF LAW.


WE HAVE FURTHER NOTED WITH CONCERN THE CONTINUED SPECULATIONS AND FALSEHOODS BEING PEDDLED ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO JEOPARDISE THE ON-GOING INVESTIGATIONS.


WE FURTHER WISH TO WARN PERSONS OR ANYONE MAKING FALSE CLAIMS TO HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN RESCUING THE VICTIMS AND ARE SOLICITING FOR MONEY OR FAVOURS TO STOP FORTHWITH AS THIS AMOUNTS TO AN OFFENCE THAT IS PROSECUTABLE UNDER OUR LAWS.


SO FAR, PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS INDICATE THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER PEOPLE WHO INTERACTED WITH THE LADIES WHILST IN CAPTIVITY OTHER THAN THE TWO KEY SUSPECTS, MATHEWS SIKAONGA AND JAMES BWALYA MULENGA.


WE, THE ZAMBIA POLICE SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND GRATITUDE TO ZAMBIA INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AUTHORITY (ZICTA), MOBILE NETWORK OPERATORS, MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND INDEED ALL THOSE THAT COOPERATED AND PLAYED A PART IN SAVING THE LIVES OF THE THIRTEEN LADIES. WE INDEED APPRECIATE AND COMMEND YOUR EFFORTS.
YOU MAY WISH TO NOTE THAT THIS IS AN ON-GOING INVESTIGATION AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WILL BE KEPT ABREAST AS NEED MAY ARISE.

LEMMY KAJOBA
INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE
8TH OCTOBER, 2022

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