Man Arrested for Faking Child's Death with Banana Sucker to Defraud Family

Nicholas Mutegeki, a 27-year-old resident of Kikuube district, is accused of orchestrating an elaborate ruse to defraud his family.

According to police reports, Mutegeki contacted his father, Kato Kabaleega, claiming his child had passed away. He requested Shs 350,000 to transport the supposed body for burial in Kakumiro.

When his father initially refused to send the funds, Mutegeki allegedly proceeded to wrap a banana sucker in cloth, placed it inside a coffin, and transported it to his father’s home. He presented this as the body of his deceased child.

The deception unraveled when community members gathered for the funeral insisted on seeing the body before proceeding with the burial rites. Mutegeki’s resistance to opening the coffin raised immediate suspicion.

Following persistent demands from the mourners, the coffin was forcibly opened, revealing the banana sucker instead of a child’s remains. Mutegeki is reported to have fled the scene immediately after this discovery.

His sister, Irene Mutegeki, expressed the family’s and mourners’ shock. Albertine Regional Police spokesperson Julius Hakiza confirmed Mutegeki’s arrest on Sunday, stating that a manhunt aided by residents led to his capture while he was hiding in a nearby bush.

Mutegeki is currently detained at Kakumiro Central Police Station and faces charges of creating a public nuisance. This incident follows a similar case in Hoima where two young men were caught fabricating their own kidnapping for ransom.

Source: https://observer.ug/news/kakumiro-man-fakes-childs-death-to-defraud-family-of-shs-350000