Oyam, Uganda: The Territorial Police in Oyam District have uncovered what they believe to be a well-coordinated motorcycle theft syndicate after 40 suspected stolen motorcycle number plates were recovered from a banana plantation during an intelligence-led operation on November 25, 2025.
The operation targeted Ajali Opoo Village, Adel Parish in Minakulu Sub-county, where an organised criminal group was allegedly dismantling and altering identification details from stolen motorcycles.
District Police Commander (DPC) Job Mutegeki, who led the operation, said intelligence teams had received “credible and time-sensitive information” pointing to the residence of a man identified as Ayen Calvine, believed to be part of the ring.
“Our intelligence teams picked up information that this location was being used as a workshop for tampering with motorcycle identification features,” DPC Mutegeki told DailyExpress. “We had reason to believe that number plates from stolen motorcycles were being changed here before the bikes were sold off or transported elsewhere.”
Police arrived at the home at about 11:15pm, but the suspects—along with the motorcycles believed to be undergoing illegal modifications—had fled.
A senior officer who participated in the operation said the suspects escaped moments before police arrived, suggesting they had been tipped off by informants.
Residents reported seeing at least three motorcycles at the premises earlier in the day being dismantled by a group of men.
A thorough search conducted in the presence of the LC1 chairperson and neighbours led to the shocking discovery of 40 motorcycle number plates buried in a banana plantation behind the home. Officers also recovered a box of spanners, mechanical tools and other items linked to the dismantling and alteration of motorcycles. Police issued a search certificate on site.
“You don’t hide 40 number plates underground unless you’re running a well-coordinated criminal enterprise,” a shaken local leader said. “This discovery has shocked the entire village.”
North Kyoga Regional Police spokesperson SP Patrick Jimmy Okema confirmed the recovery and said detectives were pursuing specific leads.
“No arrests have been made yet, but investigations are progressing. Some suspects are known, and we are making every effort to apprehend them,” SP Okema said. “The fact that they fled moments before the raid shows this is an organised group with informants and a clear operational strategy.”
He described the recovery as a “significant breakthrough” in ongoing efforts to curb motorcycle theft, a persistent problem in northern Uganda where boda boda riders remain primary targets for criminal gangs.
DPC Mutegeki urged motorcycle owners to stay vigilant. “We want all riders to ensure they have proper registration and to report any suspicious activity. These criminals are becoming more organised, but so are we,” he said.
Community members in Ajali Opoo expressed fear after learning of the criminal network operating undetected in their area. “We are living in fear. If such activities were happening here unnoticed, what else could be going on?” one resident wondered.
Police say they expect to track down the fleeing suspects “in the shortest time possible.” “They can run today, but they cannot run forever,” SP Okema warned. “We shall get them, and we shall dismantle this racket piece by piece.”
Investigators believe the recovered number plates could help link several unsolved motorcycle theft cases across the North Kyoga region.
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