Watch out, car thieves use food to net their victims

May 25, 2005

ON May 6, Fred, a driver of a special hire car, left his home for work as usual. Two men, who had hired his vehicle before, approached him, this time with a more lucrative deal.

ON May 6, Fred, a driver of a special hire car, left his home for work as usual. Two men, who had hired his vehicle before, approached him, this time with a more lucrative deal. A female client wanted to hire his vehicle on a self-drive basis and she was offering sh150,000 per day for several days.

Fred and the men met the lady in Era Inn in Mpererwe. She was just about to have her lunch. While they were negotiating the hire fees, she suggested to Mwebe to have some lunch. Mwebe was served with chicken, chips and Splash juice, the same dish as all the rest. After eating the food, Mwebe passed out. When he woke up after 12 hours later, his Toyota Corola 100 was gone.

A similar incident happened at Para Suit Guest House in Zana, at a hotel in Kansanga, at Omega Inn in Lubaga, to mention but a few. All cars involved were Toyota Corola 100 models.

After Operation Wembley and the Violent Crime Crack Unit cracked down on the violent car robbers, the robbers now seem to have changed strategy. They now steal the vehicles by feeding their owners on foods and drinks adulterated with drugs.

The most common method is promising the driver a deal to hire his vehicle on self-drive basis. After some men have got used to you by hiring your vehicle once or twice, they come to you suggesting that someone, possibly a lady, would like to hire your car on a self-drive basis. They then drive you to where the mugagga (rich client) is located, mostly in the posh guest houses, often located out of the city centre.

“They usually hook their victims close to lunch or dinner time, or when it is very hot, when they are sure someone cannot resist an offer of a drink or food,” says one officer of the VCCU, who preferred anonymity.

After making you unconscious, the thugs lock their victims into nearby rooms and take off with the vehicle, never to find them again. A source at VCCU says over five such cases are reported every month, and no vehicle stolen in that way has ever been recovered.

“Just because by the time the victim wakes up to report to police, over 12 hours would have passed, making it difficult to follow up the case,” the officer remarked.

All victims have described a light-skinned woman of over six feet tall. The woman is said to wear a pin on her nose and talks broken Luganda with a Kinyarwanda accent.

The men, who usually hook up the drivers, are said to be usually two, of medium height and one with a bold head probably in their mid 30s.
Special hire drivers are cautioned to watch out for these kind of people and deals so as not to fall victim.
“Treat with suspicion any person you don’t know much, who is suggesting a self drive deal.”

Hotel owners are also advised to take particular care and carry out proper identifications, while booking their guests. The police is appealing for any information that may lead to the identification, arrest and prosecution of such people.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});