Easter marred by wave of robberies in Kampala Metropolitan

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cases of housebreak-ins dominated crimes reported in Kampala Metropolitan policing areas during the Easter festivals.

According to Patrick Onyango, Spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police, robberies were reported in several areas, including Muduma-Mpigi, Kyengera, Kira Municipality, Mukono, and Nansana.

In one of the incidents, Eddie Nsubuga, a businessman and a resident of Muduma-Mpigi, was attacked by over eight thugs armed with pangas and housebreaking instruments at his home on Good Friday night. The thugs made off with several valuables, including a vehicle.

According to Nsubuga’s statement filed at Bujuko police station, the thugs threatened to kill him and his family members, demanding cash. They then escaped with valuables, loading them into his car, which they later abandoned along Ssentema road.

Onyango added that the hunt for the assailants is ongoing after recovering the vehicle. Meanwhile, police killed one of the notorious armed thugs who had been terrorising the Namugongo area on the same night.

According to Onyango, Umaru Kato was shot dead while being disarmed during the arrest and his brother, Waiswa Haruna, was apprehended in an intelligence-led operation. The duo had been linked to multiple aggravated robberies in Kira and surrounding areas.

The police also arrested over 55 suspected criminals targeting unsuspecting victims along the Nakivubo channel in the city centre. Onyango credited community participation for the operation’s success, noting that the suspects participated in robberies of items from travellers in city parks during Easter celebrations.

Additionally, another group of suspected thugs in Nansana remains at large for allegedly stealing animals during Easter celebrations and transporting them in vehicles.

“We received a tip about a suspicious vehicle, and our Lubigi-based officers tracked it to Ganda, where the occupants abandoned it and fled. After impounding the vehicle and taking it to Lubigi police station for further investigation, we discovered it had been used to transport stolen animals in several parts of the Kampala Metropolitan area,” Onyango said.

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