Sisters use baby in extortion scam

Sisters use baby in extortion scam
Tuesday, 14th June, 2011	E-mail article   Print article
By PASCAL KWESIGA A mother of a one-year-old boy yesterday broke into tears while narrating to the Police how she connived with her sister to use the baby to extort money from a man. Zainabu Naigaga, 33, and her sister, Sarah Birime, extorted money from a man in Sironko on several occasions by deceiving him that he was the child’s father. The man had a relationship with Birime and reportedly asked her to have his baby. When Naigaga gave birth in March last year, Birime told her boyfriend that she was the one who had given birth. Two weeks later, Naigaga gave her baby to Birime, who handed it over to the parents of her boyfriend. “The man was not looking after Birime and we decided to use the baby to get money from him. Birime didn’t want me to get the child back so that we could continue receiving money,” Naigaga said. Birime refused to pick the baby from the parents of her boyfriend. Therefore, Naigaga said she went to Sironko on June 2 and deceived the father of Birime’s boyfriend, Charles Mwambu, that Birime was ill and wanted to see her baby. Kampala metropolitan Police spokesperson Idi-Ibin Ssenkumbi said Mwambu, who had never seen Naigaga, insisted on travelling to Kampala with her and the baby. Naigaga reportedly gave Mwambu a drink that was doused with chloroform before she disappeared with the baby. Mwambu reported the matter to the Police after regaining consciousness, leading to the arrest of Naigaga.