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The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has sounded the alarm over a growing trend of false missing persons reports being filed in various police stations across the country.
In a statement, the agency warned that the practice is diverting critical police resources from genuine cases.
The DCI cited several recent instances where alleged disappearances were later discovered to be deliberate hoaxes.
In one case reported at Akila Police Station, Zain Tarip claimed that his nephew, Idd Mubarak Rashid, had gone missing on the night of April 3. However, Rashid resurfaced six days later, alleging he had been abducted by two men.
Detectives, after conducting thorough interviews established that Rashid had in fact eloped with his girlfriend, whom his uncle reportedly disapproved of him marrying.
In a separate incident on April 4, Nusu Roba Wako was reported missing prompting an intensive search.
She was eventually traced and arrested at a hideout in the company of her boyfriend, Doyo Gufu. Investigators confirmed that Wako had also eloped and deliberately cut communication.
“Some of these fabricated missing person cases receive media coverage, leading to the dissemination of false information to the public,” the DCI noted.
The agency has urged the public to desist from lodging false reports, saying such actions not only mislead the public but also waste valuable investigative resources.
“Individuals found perpetrating these hoaxes will face the full extent of the law,” the DCI warned.
