Rakai Police officer's gun stolen, six arrested

Jun 22, 2018

Unknown people took advantage of his absence to break into Ssentongo’s house and took his rifle-No.563000795 with its magazine containing 35 rounds.

PIC: Lameck Kigozi the Masaka Regional Police Spokesperson. (File photo)
 
CRIME
 
RAKAI - Police in Rakai in collaboration with other security organs are searching for a sub-machine gun (SMG) said to be stolen from their officer.
 
Special Police Constable Joseph Ssentongo, attached to Rakai Police Station, had locked the gun inside the house to fetch water.
 
Unknown people took advantage of his absence to break into Ssentongo's house and took his rifle-No.563000795 with its magazine containing 35 rounds.
 
The incident occurred on Tuesday at 3:30pm but the station administrators concealed information.
 
However, on Wednesday afternoon Lameck Kigozi, the Masaka Regional Police Spokesperson, confirmed the incident.
 
But saying they are investigating circumstances under which the gun was taken.
 
He added that Ssentongo and five others have been arrested. Other suspects are Julius Kawudde a private security officer attached to SWAT Company, Peter Owori, Prosper Wangi, Paddy Lubega and Francis Tabula all NWSC staff.
 
Ssentongo explained that he found the door open and the gun missing.
 
He informed his senior officers and immediately recorded a statement. A file CRB-322/2018 was later opened for investigations.
 
According to Kigozi, a sniffer dog tracked the scent leading the investigating officers to National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) premises.
 
The dog was reintroduced to the scene and still led them to same place compelling officers to arrest the Kawudde, Owori, Wangi, Lubega and Tabula.
 
In their statements, the suspects denied stealing the gun saying they did not leave their work places at the time the gun was taken.
 
He appealed to the residents to support police with information which may help them recover the missing gun.
 
Similar incidents have rocked Kyotera and Rakai since 2016. The guns have aided different robberies in which several people were killed and others badly wounded.
 
Also millions of shillings and property have been lost and few suspects arrested and arraigned in courts of law. 
 
In September 2017, thugs raided Kasaali Prison and overpowered their officer and took his gun but police discovered it in a swamp after a few days.
 
In the same month, Jimmy Nkuubi, a teacher of Green View Nursery and Primary school led a group of thugs that raided Luti police post in Kasaali sub-county and took an SMG riffle.
 
The police post was closed because it was the only gun to guard the residents in the sub-county. Nkuubi was arrested few weeks after and the gun recovered three months later.
 
On 31st of December 2016, thugs attacked Lance Corporal (LCpl) Kassim Okiror at Mutukula border post and took his AK47 Riffle No. 49002163 with two magazines.
 
Okiror, attached to Uganda Revenue Authority Enforcement, went into hiding shortly but police arrested him later. Thugs used the gun to rob retail and hardware shops and stores.
 
Rakai and Kyotera residents, mainly big business owners, have appealed to police to find the gun or give them protection ahead of the Eid celebrations.
 
Robbery victims including Winnie Ssemanda of Kalisizo and Betty Nazziwa of Ntovu village said that armed thugs usually target big businesses during such festivities and in where there's security lapse.
 
Nazziwa was shot in the palm in an armed robbery last year while Ssemanda was shot in the leg and robbed of three million shillings early this year.
 
But police has assured residents of protection during the festivities.
 

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