Botswana couple arrested for faking own kidnapping to extort money
The Botswana Police Service (BPS) has apprehended a couple who allegedly orchestrated their own kidnapping in a deceitful attempt to extort money from the woman’s family.
According to a police statement, the BPS in Tutume received a report on Tuesday about the supposed kidnapping of a victim by unknown assailants in the Nkange lands area. However, the police investigation has determined that the report was false.
The 40-year-old Motswana woman from Makobo village and her 35-year-old Zimbabwean boyfriend, who works in the Nkange lands, are accused of faking the incident. They reportedly called the woman’s family and demanded a ransom.
After the family reported the incident, the BPS’s preliminary investigations revealed that the entire situation was fabricated from the beginning. The “victim” and her boyfriend have now been arrested.
The Motswana woman faces a charge of providing false information to a public officer, while her Zimbabwean boyfriend has been charged with entering Botswana through an ungazetted point of entry. The woman is awaiting her court appearance, and the boyfriend is set to be deported.
