By Bridget Kabahenda
Police in Fort Portal are holding a woman accused of "lending" her three months old baby to her neighbour to defraud her boyfriend.
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The suspect is Annet Kabalisa, a resident of Kagote Cell in West Division Fort Portal Municipality.
Kabalisa allegedly offered her baby to Annet Kobusinge to dupe her boyfriend, Moses Musinguzi, whom she had deceived that she was pregnant.
The Rwenzori West Region Police Spokesperson, Lydia Tumushabe, says Kobusinge, on September 28, asked Kabalisa to help her with her baby to compel Musinguzi to start giving her upkeep.
Kabalisa reportedly agreed to the proposal and handed over the child to Kobusinge who travelled that very night to Kampala.
However, on arrival in Kampala, Musinguzi reportedly wanted to keep the baby. But on learning about the incident, Kabalisa ran to the West Division L.C III Chairperson, Richard Muhumuza the next day to ‘report the kidnap of her baby’.
Muhumuza says that he informed Police and area residents who swung into action and started hunting for the baby.
However in the ‘process of the search’, an undisclosed boda boda cyclist informed Muhumuza that he had actually transported Kobusinge with the said baby to the Kampala taxi stage in Fort Portal Town.
It is then that Police started interrogating Kabalisa who finally confessed ‘the whole truth.’
Tumushabe says Police immediately arrested Kabalisa to help with the investigations.
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.
On Wednesday, Ms. Tumushabe said 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 also arrested and detained at undisclosed Police Station.
Tumushabe said that Mr. Musinguzi noted in his statement that he withheld the baby because he wanted a refund of all the money he has spent on Kobusinge’s fake pregnancy.
“People have always blamed Police for not minding about such cases yet they are actually caused by the very people that complain. We have taken this one on and we will leave no stone unturned,” Tumushabe said.
“We warn the public to avoid getting involved in such schemes and we urge them to report such cases to Police,” she said.
Efforts to get a comment from actual father of the baby were futile as he couldn’t be traced.
Kabarole Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Steven Asiimwe, says it is very unfortunate that a parent can involve an infant in such a scam.
