Female students fake kidnapping to extort money from parents

Dar es Salaam. The police in Dar es Salaam are holding two female students for questioning over allegations that they staged their own kidnapping in an attempt to extort money from their parents via mobile transactions.

The Dar es Salaam Zone Police Commander Jumanne Murilo said on Tuesday, 4 February 2025 that the two are students haul from Vijibweni in Kigamboni District.

The suspects include a 16-year-old Form Two student and a 12-year-old primary Standard Seven pupil, who were found at Longoni Beach in Kigamboni.

According to Commander Murilo, the students disappeared from their home on 26 January 2025, heading to Longoni Beach to enjoy themselves. On the morning of 27 January 2025, they proceeded to the Tungi area, where they were eventually apprehended.

Police investigations uncovered the students' whereabouts, and during questioning, they admitted to orchestrating the fake kidnapping to fraudulently obtain money from their parents after disappearing from home.

“These children went out for entertainment and feared returning home. They decided to call their parents, pretending to have been kidnapped and demanding money to secure their release,” Commander Murilo explained.

He said that the police are continuing investigations and collaborating with other authorities to secure legal documents to present the suspects in court.

The two students, who are siblings living in the same household, were questioned and later released on bail pending further legal proceedings.