Police say the suspect wrapped a banana sucker in cloth, placed it inside a coffin and presented it to mourners as the child’s body during the funeral arrangements.
Police in Kakumiro District have arrested a 27-year-old man accused of staging the death of his own child in an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain burial money from his family.
The suspect, identified as Nicholas Mutegeki, is alleged to have deceived his relatives by claiming that his child had died and needed to be transported home for burial.
According to police, Mutegeki contacted his father and requested sh350,000, claiming the money was needed to transport the child’s body for burial. However, when his father did not send the requested funds, Mutegeki allegedly resorted to an elaborate deception.
Police say the suspect wrapped a banana sucker in cloth, placed it inside a coffin and presented it to mourners as the child’s body during the funeral arrangements.
The alleged fraud was exposed before the burial could take place after mourners demanded to view the body, as is customary in many communities. Upon opening the coffin, they reportedly discovered that it contained a banana sucker instead of a child’s remains.
The shocking discovery prompted the mourners to alert authorities, leading to Mutegeki’s arrest.
Police in Kakumiro have since launched investigations into the incident and are expected to prefer appropriate charges against the suspect.
The incident has left residents stunned, with many describing the alleged act as both deceptive and disrespectful to grieving families and cultural burial practices.
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