KAMPALA, UGANDA: Crime Intelligence-CI have arrested two suspected hardcore criminal gang members of a car theft racket in Kampala and recovered seventeen stolen vehicles sold in Mbale district.
The suspects have been identified as Nsubuga Hassan alias Mukwaya, and his colleague Alex Musisi alias Mark Butyampa from Mukono municipality.
The two suspects were arrested during an intelligence-led operation conducted by crime intelligence operatives together with CID detectives over the weekend, following the increase in car robberies within parking lots, streets, homes, and social events like weddings, funerals, and places of worship in KMP.
A detective at CID headquarters-Kibuli, who has been investigating some stolen vehicle cases said the progress in tracking down the robbers was made after the robbery of a Toyota-Noah, which was stolen on 5th July this year in Nkonge-Mukono district and its owner was quick to report.
“We built on that intelligence which led to the arrest of Nsubuga who also led us to the arrest of Musisi, his friend,” he said. “These are hard-core criminals behind many motor vehicle thefts. They led us to Wobulenzi where they had hidden this vehicle and were already forging a number plate for it.”
He said after recovering the Toyota Noah, police established that the two suspects were part of a big racket that was behind many motor vehicle thefts and robberies in Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono districts and they were dealing with someone called Juma Kasule in Mbale district.
“They change the original number plates to cloned number plates, a process they call baptizing a vehicle, and they would contact their accomplice in Mbale who could sell these vehicles within Mbale town where they had a very big market,” an officer said.
On recovered vehicles, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the operation was expanded to Mbale where 16 other Kampala stolen vehicles were recovered.
“A Toyota Noah, Rav4, A Subaru, 4 Premios’, 3 other Toyota-Ipsums, Toyota Starlet, and 2 pick-ups, I’m told there being transported to Kampala, for their details to be reviewed, and we call upon anyone who lost his or her vehicle to come at CI headquarters and check for them,” Enanga noted.
He says that police will submit the car engine numbers, and recovered number plates to Uganda Revenue Authority URA for further verification, as they trace for more accomplices still on the run.
Police are also warning motor vehicle scrap dealers against selling number plates to criminals.
The crime report of 2021, compiled by the CID indicated that 942 motor vehicles were stolen, out of these, 245 were recovered, while 697 were not recovered.
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