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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Police Flying Squad Unit has arrested six suspected masterminds of highway robberies along Kampala-Mityana road. Charles Twine, the Spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Directorate-CID has identified the suspects as Ibrahim Ssemuwemba, a resident of Busega Rubaga division in Kampala, Ignatius Lwassampijja, a resident of Gombe village in Mityana, and Hakim David, the chairperson Mirembe Kaweesa village in Kasanda district.
The others are Emmanuel Ddamulira, a resident of Wabigalo in Mityana, Emmanuel Kimbowa Ssegayi, a mechanic in Nazigo and Ronald Kayiira, a resident resident of Mirembe-Kawesa in Kasanda district. The six are being held on charges of aggravated robberies. According to the police, the suspects have been conducting robberies from December 2021 to date, majorly targeting people transporting produce from Mityana, Mubende, Kasanda and Butambala districts destined for Kampala.
It is alleged that the same gang members have been masquerading either as police or army officers on the lawful duty to their unsuspecting victims. In one of the robberies, on January 23, 2022, at Bamunanika village along Mubende Kampala highway, the thugs mounted a fake roadblock dressed in army uniforms and armed with toy guns, machetes and hammers and robbed occupants of a Fuso truck registration number UBG 709G that was loaded with 80 bags of maize destined for Kampala.
They also robbed Shillings 1.2 million and mobile phones from their victims before assaulting the truck driver Richard Lubega and 3 other occupants. They tied their victims with ropes and dumped them in a forest 2km away from the scene. According to Twine, the truck was later found abandoned in Mukono after getting involved in a motor accident with only 40 bags of maize.
“The scene of the accident was visited by Mukono traffic officers, who later identified that the motor vehicle was reported missing and black listed in the system from Mityana,” he said. Adding that, “A flying squad unit team was dispatched to Mityana and the neighbourhoods to start tracing for the thugs where it was discovered from the community members that the same track had sold some maize to one of the area businessman, who was inevitably arrested and the maize discovered in his store.”
He explains that upon interrogation, the businessman revealed the people who had sold him the maize. “A search was conducted in their homes and several items of evidential value were recovered. The suspects confessed to multiple robberies and further led the team of investigators for scene reconstruction, which was consistently done to validate their criminal acts,” Twine said.
According to the police, on March 8th, 2022, the suspects staged another robbery along Mityana-Kampala road where they intercepted truck reg number UBH 231E loaded with 95 bags of maize. They severally stabbed the occupants of the truck including Alex Isabirye and Christopher Waako and dumped them behind the cabin before they drove off and abandoned them in the bush.
The vehicle was found the next day along Busunju road. While on January 20th, 2022 using a similar method, the suspects robbed a canter truck reg number UBK 522S that was loaded with 68 bags of maize. They assaulted the truck driver David Njaana Muhereza and his turn man Kenneth Tumwesigye and left them for dead. The thugs took off with their phones and money.
Police have cautioned motorists and business people to desist from travelling late at night transporting produce, which creates opportunities for the criminals. “Business people should not buy products from persons that seem not to be known. Lodge owners and their managers are instructed to strictly profile all their clients and report any person they suspect may be planning or already involved in any criminal activity to the nearby police station,” Twine said.
CID records indicate that some of the suspects had earlier been charged to court, and either served and completed their sentences or jumped bail. ”We will engage the court and meticulously reveal the character of these criminal gangs and the extent to which they are a danger to the society, and probably request for an expeditious hearing of their cases,” Twine noted.
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