Margaret Fozia, the Commissioner of Mundri East County. (Courtesy).

The Commissioner of Mundri East County in Western Equatoria state has ordered the release of a teenager who was arrested to lure her fugitive father.

Last week, Sergeant Nathania Baya who is the Crime Officer in Mundri East said they arrested and held hostage the 13 year-old girl after her father escaped from police custody last year.

The minor’s father had been in detention for failing to pay compensation.

Last year, the girl’s father Simon Leti was fined 1.5 million Pounds to compensate for the crime of his son who allegedly damaged the eye of a soldier during a fight.

The son in question fled the area and the Police were unable to arrest him.

So, they resorted to apprehending his father who pledged to pay the amount.

Since then Leti managed to pay only 400,000 Pounds which is less than a third of the amount before he escaped from the police detention.

Margaret Fozia, the Commissioner of Mundri East County confirmed the release of the girl to Eye Radio.

Commissioner Fozia said she ordered the police in the area to release the little girl despite her father’s escape.

“The brother of that girl beat an SSPDF and damaged soldier eye, so the father was caught because the son runaway who later also run away from prison,”

“They went to look for the father, they couldn’t so they found the girl and they took the girl so that the father can come,

“I asked the police to release the girl and they have released her. The girl has been released after I ordered the police in charge.”

However, Sergeant Baya had earlier said the girl was innocent and that the police were using her to lure her father into another detention.

Arbitrary arrest and detention of family members is a common practice in many customary laws across the country.

In September last year, a 50-year-old woman in Yirol of Lakes State was arrested after her son, who was wanted for murder and cattle theft escaped arrest.