The police in the Wamala region have netted a gang of highway robbers who have been disguising as security officers and staging fake roadblocks on various roads that they use to rob unsuspecting motorists.
Their arrest was confirmed by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) spokesperson, ASP Charles Twine, who revealed in a statement that the gang has been actively operating since December last year.
“They have been terrorizing citizens majorly targeting motorists that deal in transportation of produce.
It is indicated that between Dec. 2021 to date, the region has witnessed a spate of various robberies along Mubende-Kampala Highway by some gang of criminals disguising to be either Police officers or Army officers on lawful duties,” said Twine.
Several robberies have been reported as hereunder;
On January 23, 2022, at 01:00 am, at Bamunanika village, along the Mubende Kampala Highway, a gang of thugs disguised in army uniform, armed with a toy gun, pangas, clubs, hammers, and using a fake police stop checkpoint signpost, stopped and robbed the occupants of motor vehicle Reg. Number UBG 709G Fusso was loaded with 80 bags of maize grains that were destined for Kampala, cash of Shs 1,200,000, and phones from all the occupants.
The driver, a one Lubega Richard, and the other three occupants were severely beaten to pulp, tied with ropes, and dumped in a forest 2 km away from the scene.
The robbed truck was later found abandoned in Mukono with only 40 bags on it, after getting involved in a motor accident.
The scene of the accident was visited by Mukono traffic officers, who later revealed that the motor vehicle had been reported and blacklisted in the system as stolen from Mityana.
With the help of detectives from Mityana, the team discovered from the area members of the public, that the track had sold some maize to one of the businessmen in the area, and went ahead to identify the store.
On interrogation, the owner revealed the person who connected him to the sellers, who were later identified as Ssemuwemba Ibrahim, aged 37 years, resident of Busega Rubaga Division in Kampala District, Lwassampijja Ignatius, aged 29 years, resident of Gombe village in Mityana Municipality, Hakim Davida, aged 24 years, LC1 chairman of Mirembe Kaweesa village in Kasanda District, Ddamulira Emmanuel, aged 30 years, resident of Wabigalo in Mityana Municipality, Ssegayi Kimbowa Emmanuel aged 25 years, a mechanic of Mizigo in Mityana District, and Kayiira Ronald, aged 32 years, resident of Mirembe Kaweesa in Kasanda District.
All the above suspects were arrested, a search was conducted of their homes, and several items of evidential value were recovered from their respective areas of residence.
The suspects were also professionally paraded for identification, where most of them were positively identified by the victims.
The suspects confessed to multiple robberies and further led the team of investigators to scene reconstruction, which was consistently done to validate their criminal acts.
The toy gun, as well as clothes similar to police and army uniforms, were found upon search of their premises, where they claim they bought it from Owino Market.
The suspects who are pending charges of Aggravated Robbery also revealed their participation in other robberies as follows;
The same gang on March 8, 2022, at the same point, using a similar method, robbed a track with registration number UBH 231E loaded with 95 bags of maize.
The occupants, namely Isabilye Alex and Wako Christopher, were tied, stabbed severely, and dumped behind the cabin before they were driven off and dumped in the bush. The vehicle was later found the next day along Busunju Road where it had got involved in an accident.
Also, on January 20, using a similar method, they robbed a track registered under the number UBK522S Canter loaded with 68 bags of maize grains.
The driver, Njaana Muhereza David, and his turn man, Tumwesigye Kenneth, were severely cut, left in comma, robbed of their phones, and money, and left helplessly at the scene.
The suspects were pursued by the Police patrol, and they abandoned the stolen motor vehicle at Butega along Mityana- Butambala Road with all the maize intact.
Ssegayi Kimbowa Emmanuel disguising as a passenger, boarded a boda-boda ridden by a one Ssabwe Keneth to take him to Bamunika at around 10 Pm.
Upon reaching Bamunanika, Ssambwe was hit with a hammer and his motorcycle registration number, UFA 333B, Bajaj boxer, and cash of 66,000 were robbed and he was left unconscious. Kenneth is admitted to Mityana with the hope of recovering fully.
