Lusaka ~ Saturday, 8 October 2022
By Brightwell Chabusha
Police have warned those “soliciting for money” and “claiming” to have played a role in rescuing Pamela Chisupa and others who were abducted in Lusaka’s Chalala area to stop.
The Inspector General of Police Lemmy kajoba’s statement insinuates that police have been actively involved in the matter and that they had reached the crime scene before the girls were rescued.
Mr Kajoba narrated that as investigations intensified, intelligence gathered led to the apprehension of a named taxi driver on Sunday 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.
He said 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 some time. This information prompted officers to intensify patrols around Chalala’s Choppies Mall including Greg Lungu and Augustine Lungu roads,” he stated.
“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.”
Mr Kajoba said armed with this information, officers in the company of the lady and the brother went to the same location.
He narrated that upon reaching the vicinity, the lady 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.
The IG said one of the abducted ladies who he identified as Dorcas Chungwe ceased the opportunity to break the door after noticing the panic of the abductor.
“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 danger, 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,” he said.
“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.”
Mr Kajoba said on the roadside, Dorcas met a good Samaritan called 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.
He said 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,” he said.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the Police IG disclosed that not all 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.’
He also added that this is a matter that the police had promised to pursue until the abducted persons were found alive.
And the IG has praised ZICTA, mobile network operators, members of the general public and all those that cooperated and played a part in saving the lives of the 13 ladies.
“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,” he said.