Some four suspects are currently being held in the Dschang Secondary Prison in Menoua Division of the West Region while awaiting trial for allegedly kidnapping and forcefully retaining a two-year-old baby boy.

The four suspects, Tematio Foufack Stayelle Lacaine, born on 28 May 1997, the alleged leader of the gang; Kammegne Teguia Chrisbelle, born on 30 March1999 in Bahiala, Kemssock Duegho Nina Amand, born on 11 February 1999 in Mbouda and Fofack Franchins Rosvel, born on 2 May 1998 in Fundenera-Dschang, are all students of Premier A4 class of College Bilingue Privé Intellexi, Dschang.

They were picked up recently in Dschang in connection with the kidnapping and forceful retention of a two-year-old baby boy, Adiel Miguel Raphael. According to Ngounte Robert, the Commissioner of the Dschang Central Police Station, little Adiel, in the company of his two brothers aged seven years each, was returning from church at 11 am when the main suspect trailed them.

She tricked the two elderly brothers by giving money to them to go to a nearby shop and buy biscuits and bread for themselves. On their return, the student had disappeared with the baby boy, leaving behind the child’s jacket and a telephone number, and a short message asking for a ransom of FCFA 5 million.

The efforts of the police, in collaboration with the parents and population, yielded fruit the following day when Tematio came to the arranged spot and collected the agreed ransom of 260,000 FCFA. She was then arrested by a mounted police guard.

She first denied her identity, but when the ransom was found on her, she admitted that she was the kidnapper and confessed her part in the crime. It was after her confession that she led the police to her residence at CAPLAME Dschang where the baby was found in the company of one of her accomplices, Fofack Franchin.

With the help of the two, the other two suspects were later picked up by the police. They were handed over to the Dschang State Counsel who remanded them in custody. It should be recalled that this is the fifth abduction case by the gang since December 2014, with handsome ransoms collected from families of victims.