NAIROBI,Kenya, Oct, 30 – It is almost 48 hours since Jacinta Bwire and Willis Otieno were kidnapped by unknown armed assailants en route to the former’s house along Muthaiga Drive, in Nairobi’s affluent neighbourhood of Muthaiga.
Jacinta is said to be the sister-in-law of prominent, veteran politician Fred Gumo who served as Westlands Member of parliament for almost 20 years.
The second victim, Willis Otieno, is also said to be a long-time friend and personal driver to the former legislator.
Hours later,detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are yet to unravel the motive behind the kidnapping and the whereabouts of the two abductees. Also, neither the family of the victims nor the sleuths are yet to receive any communication concerning ransom demands from the suspected abductors.
It is an agonising turn of events that has the family worried and detectives scrambling to put the pieces together in order to track down the assailants and safely rescue the victims.
Chronology of Events
According to preliminary reports by detectives attached at the Gigiri Police Station who reported to the scene of crime moments after the shocking incident at around 7pm, the two were bundled into a white pickup truck, double cabin…registration number KBY 491A.
The incident is said to have occurred so quickly that detectives and one of the victim’s kin, Fred Gumo, who notified police is said to have found the vehicle’s engine from which they were forcefully ejected from, still running, while on the driveway leading to the their house.
The Prado vehicle is owned by Gumo.
“They got here and the car came, double cabin..drove ahead of them and blocked them, they came out armed, dragged them out of their car and put them in their car by force and drove off,” said Fred Gumo.
It is not yet clear how many assailants were involved in the abduction and their identities.
Gumo had just come from Nairobi’s Westlands area when the incident occurred.
The vehicle’s doors were left ajar and windows slightly lowered.
Police who secured the scene and later canvassed the area for clues, admitted into evidence the female victim’s left shoe – Deducing that the abduction occurred so quickly further indicating signs of a struggle.
This is said to have occurred after the ‘getaway vehicle’ blocked the victims’ path, allowing the abductors to quickly snatch them and bundle them into their car.
A black backpack was also found inside the black Toyota Prado’s back seat.
Also admitted into evidence is a set of finger prints dusted from the vehicle’s door. Detectives hope to establish whether they belong to the abductors after being admitted into the national registration of persons data base.
Detectives from the Special Service Unit (SSU) who have joined in the case told Shahidi News that attempts to pin point the victims’ mobile phones have proved futile, suggesting that they have been switched off or even destroyed.
“I have tried to call them but their phone is not going through,” said a concerned Gumo who further said, “If they are targeting me why should they take, them? I don’t know what they want…I am not sure,”
Preliminary reports further indicate that the whereabouts of the ‘getaway vehicle’ is also yet to be established.
“Detectives should be able to track down where they are by now, we have given them the number of the vehicle, so I’m sure if they are really serious and want to track down these people they should know where they are by now,” said Gumo.
One of the abductees, Jacinta Bwire, is said to have recently retired after working for years for the Nairobi County Government.
Investigations are ongoing with sleuths expected to revisit the scene and conduct further interviews from witnesses as well as analyzing CCTV footage from cameras along the Muthaiga driveway.
They are also expected to retrace the vehicle’s movement from Nairobi’s CBD to Muthaiga.
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