Police hunt for Ugandan kidnapped by DRC militia

Deputy Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango. File Photo

KIDNAP|CRIME

DRC - Police have started what they have termed as a "specialised" hunt for Isaya Mbeeta, a Ugandan who was kidnapped on Monday, by unknown gunmen.

Police say the suspected kidnappers have links with militias from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The deputy police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, says, Mbeeta was kidnapped by the suspected militia from his garden. The kidnappers, he adds, have since asked for a sh2m ransom.

"One person was this morning (07/01/19) allegedly kidnapped for a ransom in DRC. The victim, one Isaya Mbeeta, of Munyaga cell western wad, Butogota township, was allegedly kidnapped at around 10:00 hours from the garden in DRC," Onyango says.

Onyango says Mbeeta was alone when two militias armed with one rifle emerged from the bush, overpowered him and dragged him into the nearby bush.

"He is said to have left his home very early in the morning at around 05:00 hours. Efforts by our forces to get him rescued are being made," Onyango says.

The Eastern DRC has over time experienced heavy fighting between militia groups and the DRC army, a move that has forced thousands to flee the violence into Uganda as refugees.