Police are holding 18 Somali Muslim ladies among them six US nationals after a raid at Madrasa at Mackinnon Road, Kwale county.

Acting on a tip of by an insider, police from Taru police Station assisted by GSU officers from Mackinnon Road raided Madrasa Al Banat and arrested the 18 on Friday morning. All of them are teenagers except two.

Mackinnon Road town is located along Mombasa-Nairobi highway, Kinango subcounty and hosts famous Banghali Shah Mosque Mosque.

 They have been held at the facility for unknown duration despite coronavirus rules against gatherings.

Kinango subcounty police commander Fredrick Ombaka said one woman called an outsider who in turn informed the officers about their confinement.

Six teenagers have been identified as Meimun Ali ,16, Nimo Issack, 15, Rahman Issack Abdinoor, 18, Hafsa Issack Abdinoor, 17, Sumea Yusuf, 19 and Fatima Ibrahim Hussein aged 17.

Three arrived at the facility in 2019, two in 2018 and one in March this year, Ombaka said.

“They were brought by their relatives to the facility to attend Madrasa Islamic classes against their wishes,” the police report read in part, raising suspicion of kidnapping.

Others in custody are 12 Somali ladies of Kenyan origin.

The oldest is 50 years, while the youngest is only aged six.

Four of the 12 are orphans of the same family from Majengo, Mombasa. Another teenager is from  Wajir.

 “They said they came by themselves because they had nowhere else to go since they are orphans,” Ombaka told the Star.

They are being held at Taru police station.

One of the women had a wound on the leg which appear to be as a result of chaining.

Ombaka said eight  teenagers were found bundled in one room with no beds, only mattresses.

“This is a very secretive area, it would not be easy to find out were it not for the lady exposed the hide out… we are doing our investigations to find out the real owners of the Madrassa,” Ombaka added.

A matron in custody is helping police with investigations.

Source:https:the-star.co.ke/news