KAMPALA, UGANDA: Police in Kampala have bust a criminal gang armed with machetes that had been robbing people on major roads in the two divisions, particularly on Ring Road, Mackay Road, Nateete, and parts of Rubaga in Kampala, the country’s capital.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango, the panga-wielding gang was operating very early in the morning and late in the evening targeting people going to and returning from work.
Onyango said police detectives used Crime Intelligence Units to track down the gang and eight suspects were arrested from Kawempe Division, where they had been residing, and recovered several machetes and motorcycles they had been using for the violent robberies.
“They were arrested in Kawempe Division where they have been residing. We also recovered the machetes and motorcycles they have been using in the violent robberies,” Onyango said,
According to police, the criminals, who were travelling on motorcycles, would surround their victims, threaten to harm them if they did not hand over their valuables, and flee the scene on their motorcycles when they got what they wanted.
The climax of their attack according to police was when they attacked and robbed a Kyambogo University female student on February 18, and the officers on a patrol car nearby chased them.
“Luckily, there was a patrol car nearby. The officers reached the scene, but the criminals escaped. During the chase, the criminals abandoned their motorcycle, which was exhibited and used to get their background,” a source at Nateete police station where the criminals are currently held said.
The source added that crime intelligence officers used CCTV cameras to track down where the motorcycle had been before, and after several months of eluding the police, the assailants were traced to Nkere Zone, Kawempe Division, and eight of them were arrested.
“After several months of eluding us, we managed to trace these assailants to Nkere Zone, Kawempe Division. Eight of them were arrested. They admitted to the crimes that have been taking place in the areas of Namungoona, Lubiri and Mengo in Rubaga Division.”
SSP Onyango said they recovered some of the stolen items from the suspects’ homes.
“We thank our Crime Intelligence teams and Nateete Police Station leadership for cracking down on this group that had made the ring road and other roads in Rubaga Division unsafe,” he added.
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