Police in Hoima District have arrested two young men accused of staging their own kidnapping in an alleged attempt to extort 2 million Shillings from their family members.
The suspects have been identified as 20-year-old John Bosco Tumukunde, and 20-year-old Ian Ajuna, both residents of Kikerege Village, Butema Parish, Buhanika Sub-county in Hoima District.
The duo was apprehended by the Flying Squad Unit attached to the Albertine Region Police following what authorities describe as intelligence-led investigations.
According to information obtained by Favour FM, the suspects disappeared from their homes on June 23, 2026.
A day later, they allegedly began calling their relatives, claiming they had been kidnapped and that their captors were demanding a ransom of 2 million Shillings for their release.
Alarmed by the calls, the family members reported the matter to Hoima Central Police Station, prompting detectives to launch investigations.
Investigators, however, soon established that the alleged kidnapping had been fabricated.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police Public Relations Officer, says detectives acted on credible intelligence that exposed the alleged scheme.
The suspects were traced to a grass-thatched house in Kinogozi Village, Buhimba Sub-County in the neighboring Kikuube District, where they had allegedly gone into hiding.
Hakiza says both suspects are cooperating with investigators and have reportedly admitted their involvement in the alleged scheme. Police have since warned members of the public against engaging in criminal acts, particularly staging kidnappings or other fraudulent schemes intended to extort money from relatives or unsuspecting members of the public.
By URN
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