Police rescue girl from suspected kidnappers

Police have rescued a 17-year-old girl abducted by suspected kidnappers two days ago.

Faith Agatha, who sat her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination this year, was abducted on Tuesday evening from her parents' home at Bidii area in Kwanza Sub-County, Trans Nzoia.

The girl was held hostage as kidnappers demanded a ransom.

A team of officers combed the booster area where they tracked the girl's phone and managed to trace the house where she was being held hostage.

The officers had on Thursday evening arrested a suspect believed to be the mastermind of the abduction.

But as the officers made more efforts to trace Agatha, the suspect, while in police custody, reached out to his accomplice using his phone and directed him to relocate the girl from a house they were holding her.

The second suspect managed to escape using a motorcycle, leaving their victim in a rental room before the officers arrived.

"We could have arrested the second suspect were it not that his accomplice who was in the cells managed to alert him. We don't know how he was let into the cell with his phone," an officer who participated in the operation told The Saturday Standard.

The girl was rescued and taken to Kitale County Referral Hospital for medical examinations.

Daniel Wesonga said his daughter was abducted on Tuesday evening as she was going to buy an item from a nearby shop.

"We arrived at home and found her missing. We tried to reach her through the phone but it went unanswered," said Wesonga.

On Wednesday, Wesonga said he received a call from the suspected kidnappers who demanded money before they could release her daughter.

"They called and even sent me a text message that I should cooperate if I wanted to see my daughter alive. It was at this time that I reported the matter to the police," said Wesonga.

The County Criminal Investigation Officer Paul Kihara confirmed the incident, saying the second suspect was being pursued.