Jinja, (UG): The police in Jinja District have arrested and detained one Edmond Mpaata, the Nakaseke District fisheries officer, and his private bodyguard on allegations of murder of a 20-year-old male adult over yet-to-be-known reasons.
Mpaata, a resident of Elgon Avenue in Jinja City was arrested together with his private bodyguard, Sande Gesa Joseph over the alleged kidnapped, torture, and murder of the victim identified as Alex Higenyi of Napia Street in Jinja City.
SP James Mubi, the Kiira Regional Police Spokesperson confirmed the report and said the duo who are currently detained at Jinja CPS will face charges among others of aggravated torture and murder.
According to SP Mubi, “It is alleged that between 16th -17th of August 2023, Edmond Mpaata resident of Elgon Avenue in Jinja city together with his local watchman Sande Gesa Joseph kidnapped a yet-to-be-identified person, wrongfully confined him and beat him up badly.”
Following the alleged torture of the victim, the suspects purportedly dumped the victim in the trench near Busoga College Mwiri in Kakira town council, Jinja district. The matter of an abandoned person was reported to Kakira police who responded to the scene of the suspected murder of a male adult.
“On August 18, 2023, Kakira police station responded to the scene of the suspected murder of an unidentified male adult around Busoga College Mwiri, the scene was thoroughly documented by a scene of crime officers (SOCO),” SP Mubi said in a Monday police statement.
The deceased’s body was retrieved with cuts on both of his arms, his neck tied with trousers and the scene exhibited back-and-forth movement of people around the trench something which triggered a thorough investigation by Kiira regional police command to ascertain what exactly transpired.
In due course of the investigations, Mubi says Mpaata and his private guard Sande Gesa were implicated in the matter for having kidnapped, wrongfully confined, beaten up Higenyi, and later dumped him in the trench.
Mpaata’s bodyguard confessed to having committed the above crimes together with his boss and it’s suspected that the victim could have succumbed to his injuries but the motive of the whole matter is yet to be established as investigations continue according to police.
SP Mubi confirmed to this reporter that a postmortem will be conducted on the deceased’s body which is suspected to have been tortured and that it will be in the presence of the regional scene of the crime officer.
“The Jinja main hospital pathologist will carry out a postmortem on the body of the deceased, suspected to have been tortured and it will be conducted on August 22, 2023, in the presence of the regional scene of crime officer(SOCO) officer,” SP Mubi said.
Meanwhile, police has strongly cautioned members of the public to desist from taking the law into their hands like involved in acts of torture, beating up, and murdering suspected wrong characters in their respective communities saying they won’t hesitate to arrest such persons who get involved in criminal acts.
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