The said children were part of the nineteen children aged one to sixteen years, Police said had been rescued upon suspicion that they were victims of human trafficking.
In a shocking turn of events, it was discovered that sixteen of the children rescued were offsprings of the suspect – the pastor – after a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test was conducted.
Police said the children were rescued in Nkoowe village, Kaliiti parish, Mende sub-county in Wakiso district, and were in a poor condition most having marks of possible torture.
Betungura and his other five purported accomplices including Karoline Nayebare, Dinah Ashaba, Betty Komuhangi, Junic Tusasire and another only identified as Joy were taken into custody on human trafficking charges.
The suspected pastor told Police he had not been able to take care of his children because of the COVID-19 lockdown, an explanation they refused to accept.
“On interrogation, the pastor said due to financial problems he was facing and other challenges after his Church was closed during the COVID-19 lockdown, he decided to place his children under the care of his relatives after failing to provide for them in terms of feeding, education and medication,” Fred Enanga, the Police spokesperson, said on Monday, 24 April 2023 during the Police security media briefing at their head of offices in Naguru.
Enanga added that even though they haven’t validated the results of three remaining children to know their father, they are now looking for the mothers of eight children whose mothers are unknown.