DCI sets up team to probe increased femicide cases

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has set up a team to investigate the increasing number of murder incidents involving women in the country.

The team has firm instructions to diligently expedite investigations on serious sexual offences and murder incidents.

“A team of specially trained investigators from the DCI’s Homicide Directorate has firm instructions to diligently expedite investigations on serious sexual offences and murder incidents involving women with a view to put to an end the worrying trend of femicide in the country,” DCI boss Amin Mohamed said in a statement.

The team comprising criminal intelligence analysts and forensic experts, will also partner with other stakeholders to come up with swift and comprehensive preventive strategies to address this atrocious violation of human rights.

While briefing the team on the enormous task ahead of them, the Director of Criminal Investigations Mr Mohamed Amin vowed to avail all capability and resources at his disposal for the team to deliver on its mandate, “these killings have cast a dark shadow over our safety and security endeavours; we must put this menace to end with remarkable speed and finality,” he emphasised.

Between the year 2021 and 2024, a total of 94 cases of killings of women and girls were reported to the DCI and a total of 65 suspects arraigned in various courts across the country in connection with the murders.

The team has been instructed to complete the pending investigations and ensure all those culpable are brought to book.

Mr Amin has also made a passionate appeal to members the public to volunteer any information that could aid in investigations or assist in apprehension of perpetrators of these heinous acts through the toll free DCI hotline 0800722203, “there is a nexus between femicide and sexual violence. We know the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, let us expose them. Let us all join hands to defeat this evil.”