Robbery Goes Up In Mbarara

By James Mujuni A spate of armed car robberies has hit Mbarara and Bushenyi districts over the last two weeks, the Police has said. The officer in charge of criminal investigations in Mbarara, Mr Jonathan Edoku, told The New vision that four armed robberies were reported to the Police last week alone. "On Saturday the Police highway patrol shot dead a suspected armed robber at Ntare Road and recovered an AK47 assault rifle from him. "The suspect was trying to flee," Edoku said. Police is still tracing a saloon car registration number 551UCM which was robbed on Saturday at gun point in Mbarara town. The driver, identified as Benon Kyagukanyi was abducted by the robbers and later abandoned at Rwebiteete, on the Mbarara-Masaka highway. Police said a day before, armed robbers had hijacked two cars, registered 400 UCR and 412 UAA in Mbarara town. The cars were later found abandoned at Kitagata in Bushenyi and Kitovu in Masaka districts respectively. An official working with the Red cross was on Saturday robbed of sh150,000 and a mobile phone by unidentified thugs at Kiyanja in Mbarara municipality. The Bushenyi district police commander, Mr. Charles Niwagira, said two vehicles were robbed at gun point in the area over the weekend. He said the armed robbers stole a Toyota Hilux vehicle number UAD 076D belonging to Hassan Basaajabalaba, a prominent businessman in Ishaka. Nuwagira said the robbers also hijacked a vehicle at Kakanju belonging to Kalisa Abdul. The vehicles were later abandoned at Kabwohe. Ends