Three persons have been detained by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on suspicion of being responsible for the pastor’s kidnapping that occurred in Nairobi on Thursday.
The pastor was allegedly kidnapped by the three on Thursday night while walking to a restaurant close to Nyayo National Stadium, and they stole his phone and cash.
The three suspects were taken into custody at their residences in Syokimau, Kitengela, and Kamito, according to a statement released by the DCI on Saturday.
Detectives from the DCI Nairobi Area Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau led the operation, with assistance from their Lang’ata counterparts.
After a busy session of preparing events for the next Benny Hinn crusade slated to take place at the Nyayo National Stadium, the victim—a pastor connected to a city church—told the police he was headed to supper.
After the event was quickly reported to the Nyayo Police Post, an investigation into it was started right away.
Three men stopped him as he was making his way to a restaurant near the Nyayo National Stadium. They then forced him into a waiting saloon car.
“Once in the car, the man of the cloth reported to have been stripped naked and photos of him taken before he was forced to reveal his M-PESA pin lest the photos be uploaded on his social media platforms. Complying under duress, Sh55,000 was transferred to one of the suspect’s phone and thereafter he was released,” the DCI said.
Following the event, the DCI team studied the forensic evidence at hand and eventually followed it to a house in Syokimau.
As a result, the first suspect was taken into custody.
Three cellphones, including an iPhone 13 with the SIM card that allegedly received the stolen Sh55,000, and a PDQ bank card swapping machine were found during a later search of his home.
The first suspect cooperated with the investigators after a brief interrogation and led them to Kitengela, where his accomplice was apprehended. The victim’s phone was purportedly discovered in the custody of the second suspect.
The three are being detained at the Langata Police Station until Monday, when they will be arraigned.
