A Form Two girl in Kitengela has finally been reunited with her family after going missing for four days.

The girl, aged only 16 years, was rescued in a sting operation in the neighbourhood, conducted by police officers from Kitengela

According to the police, the minor was being held by a man said to be a boda boda rider in the area.

The suspect is aged around 40 years, police said.

“The girl was found locked up inside the rider’s house. It has been a difficult moment for the family since Wednesday when she failed to return home,” a family member told Wananchi Reporting, but declined to be named so as to project the identity of the minor.

Police said that the suspect would lock up the girl inside the house, go out to work, and return later in the evening.

The girl was reported missing on Wednesday last week after stepping out to see a cobbler to mend her shoes in readiness for the reopening of school on Monday.

Police said that the girl had boarded the suspect’s motorbike the previous day on Tuesday – to take her to a cobbler to mend her school shoes.

“The rider took her to a cobbler who happened to have a lot of work, and so asked her to come pick her shoes the next day on Wednesday,” said a family member.

However, the rider is said to have gone ahead and picked the shoes from the cobbler himself – and reportedly took them to his house without the girl's knowledge.

“The man came to our home the following day on Wednesday and told me that my shoes were ready for picking. He asked if I would pay him so he could take me to the cobbler. I agreed, and quickly grabbed my mobile phone and some money and left,” the minor told the police.

Adding that: “It was while on the way that he told me that he had already picked my shoes – and that they were at his house. On arrival at the gate of his house, he dragged me into the house and switched off my mobile phone.”

Police said that the suspect would bring food and alcohol home – and would reportedly force the girl to imbibe after feeding him.

The girl was located and rescued after she managed to reach her mobile phone, which the suspect had earlier confiscated, as he was in the bathroom, and quickly took pictures of the surrounding and sent to her mother's phone.

The police would later use the images to mobilise a successful rescue operation in the area.

The girl was taken to hospital for tests and treatment. 

The suspect is set to be arraigned in court in Kajiado on Monday.