Police recover $8,000 from robbers

Apr 07, 2018

But he said police had deposited the recovered dollars at the Bwera magistrates’ court as required by law while suspects were being held at Bwera Police Station

PIC: Kasese Bwera DPC Vincent Mwesigye. (Credit: John Thawite)

CRIME | ROBBERY

KASESE- There was drama in Kasese on Thursday evening when joint armed security forces swung into action to chase four gangsters who had stolen $8,000 and over sh2m from a resident.

After a 40-km motorised chase, the Police, backed by the army and the Uganda Revenue Authority operatives, netted the fleeing robbers at Kikorongo, a Bwera-Kasese-Mbarara road junction in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Confirming the incident on Friday, the Bwera Police division Commander, ASP Vincent Mwesigye, said the suspects, Benjamin Ahupu Bllyx, Emmanuel Boowe, Charles Ssentongo and Ibrahim Kakooza, were driving a Harrier Toyota car, registration UBB431S.

Mwesigye said the suspected robbers had grabbed the money from businessman Johnson Kalambayi's son who was going to bank the money in Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council.

 "When they took off, we immediately swung into action, alerted our units in Kinyamaseke, Katwe and Kikorongo, started the chase and converged on the thugs Kikorongo where, the joint forces in the area had intercepted the robbers in the car at a road block," Mwesigye said.

He said his station at Bwera was holding the four arrested suspects on robbery charges under case No CRB187/2018.

However, he said the Police had deposited the recovered dollars at the Bwera magistrates' court as required by law, while suspects were being held at Bwera Police Station.

When contacted, Kalambaya referred New Vision to one Francis Happy.

Happy said the robbers first approached Kalambaya's son, Innocent Masereka and asked for change.

Happy said after going out of the bank, one of them re-entered, pretending he and his colleagues had dollars which they wanted to exchange into Ugandan currency.

"They then asked Masereka where to find a money changer and if he would lead them there," Happy said.

Unsuspecting, Masereka reportedly went out with them to assist them find a money changer at the Mpondwe border post.

"In the process, the robbers grabbed Kalambaya's son's bag containing the $8,000 and sh2.3m, amounting to about sh30m," he said.

But according to Happy, the sh2.3m was still missing.

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