Detectives Arrest Kenyan Man Who Eloped with 13-Year-Old Girl After Luring Her on Facebook

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the disappearance of a Class 8 girl.

The suspect, Marcos Menza Masumbuko alias Vasco, was apprehended at Mathare Police Depot in Nairobi on Monday.

His arrest comes after a forensic analysis of evidence led detectives to Facebook, where Masumbuko is said to have befriended the 13-year-old girl before luring her to his house.

The suspect cohabited with the minor for about a week before facilitating her travel to her aunt’s place in Nyakach, Kisumu County after she was reported missing.

Masumbuko later shaved his dreadlocks in what police believe was an attempt to disguise himself.

The girl went missing from her parent’s home in Upper Hill, Nairobi on October 11th before she was found at her aunt’s home in Nyakach on Monday.

Her parents reported her missing on October 16th and suspected she was lured by an online fraudster posing as a tutor as they found exam answer sheets that had been marked and graded by an unknown teacher.

“The DCI cautions parents to be very vigilant in monitoring what sites their children visit on the internet, especially during this Covid-19 period where kids are being issued with electronic gadgets to attend online classes,” DCI said.