Police in Kakamega are holding six suspects over the death of a nine-year-old boy who was kidnapped and later found murdered.
Kakamega county police commander Wilkister Vera said the suspects were tracked by a phone they had used to demand ransom from the boy's parents.
The body of the Ishmael Shukkar boy who disappeared on Saturday morning was found on Sunday.
“The mother reported that she received a call from an unknown person demanding a Sh50,000 bribe shortly after the boy had left home for madrasa in one of the mosques in Kakamega," Vera said.
She said police were led to the scene where the body of the boy had been dumped near a river in Shitungu village.
Vera said the suspects were very young people aged between 16 to 18.
"It is still not clear whether this was an ordinary crime or it was related to cultic activities," she said.
The police commander appealed to the public to be vigilant and watch over their children. She said the boy's body had been cut with a sharp object on the neck. The body was taken to Kakamega County Referral Hospital Mortuary.
