Police are pursuing new leads in the murder of Shantel Nzambi, a grade two pupil from Kitengela.
Sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, arrested a boda-boda operator, believed to have been part of the gang that kidnapped and killed the young girl.
According to the officers, the rider may have been working with a yet-to-be-identified woman, and kidnapped Shantel, after which they demanded a Ksh300,000 ransom.
The detectives nabbed the boda-boda operator while he was in possession of a mobile phone, they believe was used to call the eight-year-old's mother, Christine Ngina.
The sleuths also alleged that the gang may have mistaken Shantel for the daughter of a police officer. Her death, may have been a mistaken identity.
According to the police, the two girls lived in the same apartment and the kidnappers may have snatched Shantel thinking it was the other.
Detectives at the Kitengela Police Station DCI unit are currently probing the matter to ascertain the intent of the perpetrators.
Isinya DCI boss Jeremiah Ndubai assured that the police will get to the bottom of the matter.
Shantel was reported missing on Sunday, May 30, when she had gone outside to play with her friend, Sharon, the daughter of the police officer, who may have been the primary target.
"I went to look for her. I asked other children to direct me to Sharon’s house because I only knew the apartment she lived in but not the specific house but there was no one in the house.
“I returned twice but still did not find anybody nor traced my daughter. No one had seen her at all,” Ngina stated.
She later sought the contacts of the police officer to ask if her daughter might be with them but they were not aware of her whereabouts.
She later got a call from a woman who demanded that she pay Ksh300,000 ransom, which she agreed to.
Shantel's body was later discovered stuffed in a gunny bag the next day at Noonkopir.
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