Thu, 21 Sep 2017 09:26:23 +0000
…Abductors threaten to kill MTN staffer if K20, 000 is not delivered
By Bennie Mundando
CRIMINALS in Kalomo have abducted an MTN sales representative and are demanding a ransom of K20, 000 from the family, failure to which they have threatened to kill him.
Beaton Chiyakayaka, 24, was abducted by unidentified people in the wee hours of Tuesday morning at his residence in Bwacha compound before his assailants called his family to send the money to them or they will remain with no other option but to kill him in cold blood.
Both his father, Rodwell Chiyakayaka and Southern Province police commissioner Bonny Kapeso confirmed the abduction to the Daily Nation yesterday.
Mr. Chiyakayaka said his son was being held hostage by some people whom the family suspects had been trailing him for some time, looking for an opportunity to steal the money he was collecting on behalf of the company from talk time sales.
Mr. Chiyakayaka explained that efforts to track the people behind the abduction of his son had hit a snag as information obtained from the Zambia Information and
Communications authority (ZICTA) showed that the Zamtel number the assailants are using to communicate with his family and his bosses was registered in his son’s name.
“He was abducted on Tuesday morning. When we woke up, we did not find him. We later received a call from the same people who are holding him that they needed K20, 000 to release him and that if we fail to raise the money, they will kill him,” said Mr. Chiyakayaka
“We reported the matter to police but what has compounded the problem is that while information from the mobile provider shows that the people who are using that number are within Kalomo, records at ZICTA show that the sim card was registered in my son’s name, probably by the same people because that sim card is not his,” Mr. Chiyakayaka said.
Mr. Chiyakayaka appealed to people who could have tips on the whereabouts of his son to report the matter to the police whom he said had done their best so far to find the abductors holding his son.
And Mr. Kapeso said police were still investigating the matter to bring those behind the act to book but said it was too early to conclude that the development amounted to an abduction as preliminary indications showed that it could be just an act of trickery.
“We are still investigating and it is not yet confirmed that it is a serious abduction but from face value, we suspect it could be a trick. For now, we suspect it could be a trick but we are investigating very seriously,” Mr. Kapeso said.
