South African man arrested after luring Nairobi teen to hotel through Tinder

What started as a harmless curiosity quickly spiraled into a terrifying experience for a 17-year-old student from Nairobi, whose sudden disappearance last month has culminated in the arrest of a 26-year-old South African national.

The girl had installed Tinder following repeated nudges from a classmate urging her to check out the widely used dating platform.

Not long after creating her account, she began receiving numerous matches one of whom was later identified as Bradley Zwane, a man staying at a high-end hotel in Nairobi’s Westlands area.

Within just a few days, the teenager vanished from her home, sending her parents into a panic and prompting them to file a missing person report at Kibra Police Station.

“I didn’t sleep at all that night,” the girl’s mother said told Citizen Digital, her voice trembling with emotion.

"I feared the worst that my daughter had been kidnapped or killed. By 5:30 in the morning, I rushed to her school, only to learn from her friend that they had gone there together. That’s when we contacted the police."

Acting swiftly, investigators tracked the girl to a hotel in Westlands. A search of the room revealed five Kenyan passports four appearing unused and one bearing travel stamps from South Africa and Russia.

They also discovered several used condoms, further deepening concerns about the nature of the encounter.

Bradley Zwane, now in police custody, told officers he thought the girl was of legal age.

"She told me she was 18 that’s what her Tinder profile said," he claimed.

"When I asked for her ID, she joked it was a number 4. I kept asking, but she insisted she was 18, said her birthday was yesterday, and that she had just finished high school and was waiting to join university."

Still, questions linger about how a minor gained access to a hotel that normally requires identification upon check-in.

Zwane also tried to clarify the presence of the passports, telling investigators, "They don’t belong to me. They were left with me by our company manager, who traveled to Europe."

Authorities are now probing Zwane’s possible links to a suspected international betting syndicate.

His arrest has intensified concerns over how digital platforms like Tinder can be misused by predators and highlighted the uphill battle police face in safeguarding underage users online.

Still visibly distressed, the victim’s mother shared an emotional plea: "He called me and asked if we could talk. I told him, ‘Please, don’t destroy my daughter’s life.’ But when I looked at her — she’s only 17. If something had happened to her, how would he have lived with himself? I just wanted him to let her go."

Zwane remains in custody at Kibra Police Station and is expected to face charges, including defilement.