Girl,17, rescued after abduction in Malindi

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Detectives have arrested a suspect and rescued a 17-year-old girl who had been abducted from her home in Malindi in Kilifi county.

The security team led by Deputy Director Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau  (CRIB), Mr Peter Kilemi ,used forensic analysis and mobile phone tracking to locate the suspect Lucky Okoth, 25, at Sabasaba area.

The girl had been reported missing on April 11, 2026, by her father, a senior officer attached to GK Prison in Malindi sub-county.

According to the detectives, preliminary investigations revealed that the girl had been communicating with unknown individuals using two mobile phone numbers before her disappearance.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the girl had been communicating with unknown individuals using two mobile phone numbers prior to her disappearance,” read part of the police statement.

Police said what initially appeared as a missing person case turned into a confirmed abduction after the suspect contacted the family demanding a Sh200,000 ransom while issuing threats to harm the victim.

The suspect even allowed the girl to speak to her father, confirming she was being held against her will.

Unknown to the investigators, the father went ahead and sent Sh100,000 to secure his daughter's release.

The suspect withdrew Sh1,000 from a Mpesa agent in the Maweni area, which prompted the detectives to close in on him and immediately arrest him.

The young girl later resurfaced at their home in Silversands within Malindi, a few minutes after the money was sent, and her father rushed her to Malindi sub-county hospital for a medical checkup.

"Soon after her arrival at home, the father reversed the remaining amount from the mpesa account of the suspect. The father rushed the girl to Malindi Sub-County Hospital for a medical check-up," read part of the statement.

Police suspect the minor had conspired with the suspect to stage an abduction to defraud her father.