25-year-old arrested for allegedly abducting, defiling minor

Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Chudleigh in Lusaka for allegedly abducting and defiling a 13-year-old grade seven pupil.

According to Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, Danny Mwale, the suspect, David Matapo, was found with the victim at a lodge in Lusaka’s Garden Compound on Saturday.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Sunday, Mwale reported that the victim went missing on June 19, 2024.

“She is alleged to have left home for school, but authorities at the school confirmed that she never arrived,” he stated.

It was further alleged that the victim called her mother after several days, informing her that she was stranded in Chililabombwe District, where she was visiting friends, and needed money to travel back to Lusaka.

“Concerned members of the public tipped officers that the girl was in a relationship with a certain man and that they were hiding at a named lodge in Lusaka’s Kamwala South area,” Mwale added.

After further investigations on Wednesday, police officers raided the supposed lodge in Kamwala South but found that the two had left after paying a substantial bill they had accumulated.

“Police officers, working together with officials from ZICTA and concerned members of the public, intensified investigations, which led them to a lodge in Garden Compound where the suspect was found with the victim in one of the rooms,” Mwale said.

The suspect was arrested and detained in custody, while the girl was still undergoing medical examinations.

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