Police in Bondo have arrested a Tanzanian gold dealer in connection with the suspected murder of a student from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.

The suspect, identified as Maximillian John Madeni, was arrested after the body of 20-year-old second-year Bachelor of Education Science student Alice Rianga was discovered in the Barkowino area within Bondo Township.

According to Bondo Sub-County Police Commandant Robert Aboki, the body was found on Saturday by local women who had gone to collect firewood before they alerted authorities.

Police said the student had last been seen on Wednesday after reportedly leaving her hostel room in Bondo town for the university’s main campus but never returned.

Her roommate, Kayla Wanyonyi, later filed a missing person report, with the description matching the body recovered earlier.

Preliminary investigations linked Madeni to the case after the roommate allegedly identified him as the deceased’s boyfriend.

Investigators also noted that the scene showed no signs of a struggle, raising suspicion that the student may have been killed elsewhere before the body was dumped in the thicket.

Police further stated that the body was found without undergarments as detectives continue investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The body was moved to the Bondo Sub-County Hospital mortuary pending a postmortem examination.

Meanwhile, students from JOOUST have reportedly demanded swift action from authorities following the killing of their colleague.