Police tracks down gang targeting mobile money dealers

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Directorate of Crime Intelligence has successfully tracked down a suspected gang of armed robbers who specifically target mobile money operators, according to the Deputy Police Spokesperson, Polly Namaye.

In a press statement, Namaye explains that the gang members were arrested following an operation conducted by the Flying Squad Unit, which resulted in the recovery of a police AK-47 rifle that was previously stolen from an officer of Nsangi Division on May 29, 2023.

“On a fateful day, as the officer disembarked from a Boda boda near the Division HQ checkpoint at Nsangi, criminals ridding on motorcycles arrived, grabbed the weapon, and sped off. Since then, the police have registered four mobile money incidents, including attempted murder by shooting of one of the victims who tried to make an alarm,” said Namaye.

She explains that police also recorded an armed robbery in Mubende, which gained attention after a CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media. During this robbery, a police officer from Kassanda, CPL Olaya Joseph, was killed while attempting to intercept the gang as they escaped on motorcycles. “The suspects also grabbed a gun magazine belonging to the deceased,” she said.

She explained that police have since arrested six suspects and recovered the motorcycle used in the robberies. “We have since established from our interrogations and critical examination of the different scenes that the recovered gun was the same one used in different robberies recently by this racket,” the statement reads.

According to Namaye, investigations are still ongoing to apprehend all criminals targeting mobile money dealers to face justice. She urges individuals with any useful information to share it with the nearest police station.

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