PRESS RELEASE
Murder and Aggravated Robbery:
This morning Monday 27th, November 2017, at around 04:30 am, criminals attacked a petrol station called LORIS OILS Petrol station at Nakuwadde in Bulenga, Mityana Road and murdered two people identified as Byonanebye Andrew, pump attendant and Ssengooba Ibrahim, a charcoal truck driver.
The truck driver was hit by a blunt object and strangled to death while the pump attendant is suspected to have been intoxicated first before he was tied and strangled to death. It is suspected that some unspecified amount of money was stolen from the petrol station.
The police is on ground to manage the scene of crime. Bodies have been taken to Mulago for postmortem. Investigation into this gruesome murder continues.
It will be recalled that on Tuesday last week, November 21, 2017, an old star pistol was recovered from a ceiling in Bulenga while the land lord renovated the house after its occupants left it. Investigations commenced immediately and the pistol is with the police. It was not a marked to link it to the organ that it belonged. However, it had a factory number.
Caution: All land lords should take responsibility to register their tenants by use of valid documents like National IDs, and passports. These should be verified to avoid forgeries, otherwise they risk being treated as accomplices in these crimes.
The Fight Against Motor Vehicle Thefts
Many Ugandans continue to loose motor vehicles to criminals that steal them, dismantle some into scrap, modify others through tampering with the chassis numbers and sell them locally or drive and sell them beyond borders to DRC, South Sudan or Tanzania.
Modus Operandi:
Some criminals trail their victims and while they park the vehicles in parking lots, homes, along the streets the criminals drive them away stealthily.
Secondly, some violently break into houses and drive these vehicles away to unknown destinations.
Thirdly, some hire them from owners under the self-drive schemes. They later report theft of these vehicles and you can easily fall for their bait as they look innocent yet they are the criminals playing the victim.
Fourthly, they forge chassis numbers replacing the original chassis number with the forged ones, and placing their own registration number plates on the stolen vehicle. By this, if handlers and owners are not keen, they might miss the recovery as this vehicle has documents proving that they belong to another owner all together as these forged documents are submitted to URA for verification. Accident vehicles are usually bought “as is” and the problem partly starts from there.
The Uganda Police Force has continued with operations to fight this crime. And many vehicles have been recovered, handed over to their owners and some suspects are in courts of laws.
Statistics indicate that out of 136 vehicles reported missing in Kampala Metropolitan since August 2017 todate, 36 vehicles have been recovered. That is 36% recovery rate. However, there are other vehicles that were recovered and owners are not yet known.
In Kampala Metropolitan Police, 30 cases have been taken to court which is 22.05%. Successful prosecution is sometimes hampered by victims who easily lose interest immediately they recover their vehicles. This, instead encourages criminals in their trade!
Caution: When a motor vehicle is stolen, report to police immediately, ensure you have your authentic documents like your National ID, Log Book so that we circulate information throughout the country especially at our boarder points. Secondly, it is high time we invested in car tracking systems that help in fighting this crime. Thirdly, Ugandans ought to think of the value of insurance.
SECURITY ALONG ENTEBBE EXPRESS HIGH WAY
There have been cases of many youths staging illegal road blocks and demanding money from motorists that use this express high way. Following these complaints of extortion along this road where motorists use it even when it is not yet commissioned, thereby making them vulnerable in many ways. Therefore police has taken it upon herself to address this matter and stop the extortion.
It is our duty to caution the public to avoid using such facility that is not yet commissioned because the security features like traffic lights, diversions, and other relevant road signs are not yet there which might compromise motorists’ safety and security.
The police will continue to engage UNRA and the contractor to find a lasting solution to this challenge at hand.
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SSP EMILIAN KAYIMA
SPOKESPERSON UPF
