Police arrest forex bureau suspects
Apr 09, 2006
THE Police have arrested four suspects over the daring daylight robbery of more than sh90m from Crane Forex Bureau at Plot 20, Kampala Road on Saturday afternoon.
By Alfred Wasike
THE Police have arrested four suspects over the daring daylight robbery of more than sh90m from Crane Forex Bureau at Plot 20, Kampala Road on Saturday afternoon.
The proprietor, Sudhir Ruparelia, said, “More than sh90m was robbed in an ambush when the guards were disarmed and my staff put at gun point.â€
Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said, “We are holding two guards from the forex bureau. They are identified as Paul Egou and Ronald Onyango. We shall not tell you the name of the company they work for.â€
The Police said they had also arrested two bodaboda cyclists, Deo Mukiya who rides UDC 530E and Godfrey Mugisha of UDA 210H.
“We have found out that after the robbery, the robbers walked to Speke Hotel, where they picked bodaboda bikes from,†Onyango said.
Crane Bank managing director A.R. Kalan said, “It happened at 2:00pm. Four men armed with three SMGs sneaked into the forex bureau posing as customers. They were dressed in jeans and t-shirts. They disarmed the guards, jumped over the counter and ordered, in clear English, for the safe to be opened.â€
He added, “During the robbery, there were two guards. The one who was missing said he had gone to a forex bureau next door. The robbers moved very fast. They did not close the forex bureau doors during their operation. They were bold,†he said.
“They removed all the cash from the safe and packed it into the bags they had come with. They locked up five staff in the toilet after the robbery and left quietly. None of our neighbours knew what was going on,†Kalan recalled.
He said the last robbery at Crane Forex Bureau took place four years ago and that sh70m was stolen.
“There was an attempted robbery about two years ago but it flopped because when the robber tried to jump to the counter, he slipped, fell, was disarmed and arrested,†Kalan recalled.
A visit by The New Vision to the scene of crime yesterday revealed beefed up security by Saracen. Guards at Amber House, the Post Office and adjacent buildings denied knowledge of the robbery.
THE Police have arrested four suspects over the daring daylight robbery of more than sh90m from Crane Forex Bureau at Plot 20, Kampala Road on Saturday afternoon.
The proprietor, Sudhir Ruparelia, said, “More than sh90m was robbed in an ambush when the guards were disarmed and my staff put at gun point.â€
Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said, “We are holding two guards from the forex bureau. They are identified as Paul Egou and Ronald Onyango. We shall not tell you the name of the company they work for.â€
The Police said they had also arrested two bodaboda cyclists, Deo Mukiya who rides UDC 530E and Godfrey Mugisha of UDA 210H.
“We have found out that after the robbery, the robbers walked to Speke Hotel, where they picked bodaboda bikes from,†Onyango said.
Crane Bank managing director A.R. Kalan said, “It happened at 2:00pm. Four men armed with three SMGs sneaked into the forex bureau posing as customers. They were dressed in jeans and t-shirts. They disarmed the guards, jumped over the counter and ordered, in clear English, for the safe to be opened.â€
He added, “During the robbery, there were two guards. The one who was missing said he had gone to a forex bureau next door. The robbers moved very fast. They did not close the forex bureau doors during their operation. They were bold,†he said.
“They removed all the cash from the safe and packed it into the bags they had come with. They locked up five staff in the toilet after the robbery and left quietly. None of our neighbours knew what was going on,†Kalan recalled.
He said the last robbery at Crane Forex Bureau took place four years ago and that sh70m was stolen.
“There was an attempted robbery about two years ago but it flopped because when the robber tried to jump to the counter, he slipped, fell, was disarmed and arrested,†Kalan recalled.
A visit by The New Vision to the scene of crime yesterday revealed beefed up security by Saracen. Guards at Amber House, the Post Office and adjacent buildings denied knowledge of the robbery.