The suspect’s father, a 52-year-old traditional healer, was arrested on Monday by Crime Intelligence operatives led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Ismael Ssenono at Bukoboli Village, Nakalama Parish, Nakalama Sub-county in Iganga District.

Investigators say the father was allegedly aware of the murder of Sumaya Edrisa Binti, a student at Nakaloke Secondary School, who was killed at a lodge in Mbale City on March 23, 2025.

“The father of the suspect had knowledge that the son had killed a girl in Mbale. He was also aware that his son had been arrested in Mayuge over another human trafficking case of a girl in October 2025. But he has distanced himself from the sacrifice of the girls,” a police source told _MONITOR_ on Wednesday.

“The police are still holding him to help with the investigations,” the source added.

The arrests stem from the defilement and murder of Binti. The prime suspect is accused of cutting off the victim’s index finger and collecting her blood before abandoning her body in a guesthouse room.

Lodge workers later discovered the body in the room. Binti was found naked and tied to the bed with a mosquito net, according to police.

Police said the suspect telephoned lodge workers, directing them to go to the room and collect their property.

Investigations to track down the killer began immediately, but took eight months before the prime suspect was arrested.

The suspect was arrested on Saturday at Budebela cell in Mayuge Town Council, Mayuge District, where police said he confessed to the crime, claiming he had been paid Shs5 million for the victim’s blood and index finger.

Investigators also revealed that the suspect had previously been arrested for allegedly trafficking a 16-year-old girl whom he had kept in a lodge in Mayuge District on June 29, 2025.

In that case, he was produced in court and remanded to prison before being released on bail on October 16, 2025.

Police said that after securing his release, the suspect reconnected with a traditional healer to continue carrying out ritual sacrifices.