The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Fort Portal, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Fort Portal police are holding a mother accused of offering her neighbor her three-months-old baby to defraud her boyfriend. The suspect is Annet Kabalisa, a resident of Kagote cell in West Division Fort Portal Municipality.
The Rwenzori West Region Police Spokesperson, Lydia Tumushabe, says Kabalisa was picked up after she offered her baby to Annet Kobusinge to dupe her boyfriend, Moses Musinguzi whom she had deceived that she was pregnant.
According to Tumushabe, on September 28th, 2019, Kobusinge asked Kabalisa for her baby that she can present it to Musinguzi in Kampala as her own and get some upkeep. Kabalisa reportedly agreed to the proposal and handed over the child to Kobusinge that very night for travel to Kampala.
However, on arrival in Kampala, Musinguzi reportedly refused to allow the baby to be returned to Fort Portal. Kabalisa, who immediately got to know about incident, ran to the West Division LC III Chairperson, Richard Muhumuza the next day with a lie that her baby had been kidnapped.
Muhumuza says that he informed police and area residents who swung into action and started hunting for the baby. In the process, an undisclosed Boda boda cyclist informed Musinguzi that he had actually taken Kabusinge with the baby to the Kampala taxi stage in Fort Portal town.
At this point, police started interrogating Kabalisa who disclosed the whole truth. Tumushabe says police immediately arrested Kabalisa to help in investigations. She notes that five of Kobusinge’s family members were also arrested and interrogated after establishing that they also knew about the deal but didn’t inform police.
They are Issa Kamara, Moreen Basemera, Abdullah Murungi, Latifa Baguma and Joyce Nakasi. On Wednesday, Tumushabe told URN that Fort Portal Police had coordinated with their counterparts in Kampala and established the exact location of Kobusinge, the baby and Musinguzi.
The couple was picked up and locked up at undisclosed police station. Tumushabe says Musinguzi’s statement shows that he withheld the baby because he wanted a refund of all the money he has spent on Kobusinge’s a fake pregnancy.
She also discloses that a team of police officers had traveled to Kampala to return the suspects to Fort Portal Police Station and retrieve the baby.
Efforts to get the father of Kabalisa’s baby for his side of the story about the matter were futile as he couldn’t be traced.
Kabarole Resident District Commissioner – RDC, Steven Asiimwe, who heads the District Security Committee, says it is so unfortunate that a parent would engage her young baby into such a scheme.
She warns parents against taking part in fraud, saying security agencies are alert to arrest and prosecute whoever doesn’t heed.
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