Besigye petrol station robbed
May 15, 2007
Armed robbers on Sunday night raided Total Filling Station belonging to the FDC chief, Col. Kizza Besigye and snatched over sh20m and an assortment of goods from the supermarket.
By Josephine Maseruka
and Brian Ssekamatte
Sh20m grabbed; five supermarkets also attacked
Armed robbers on Sunday night raided Total Filling Station belonging to the FDC chief, Col. Kizza Besigye and snatched over sh20m and an assortment of goods from the supermarket.
The robbers also raided supermarkets at Rest Corner in Muyenga, an upmarket suburb of Kampala.
Besigye told The New Vision yesterday morning that the robbery occurred at about 2:00am. He explained that the robbers broke into the strong-room where the money was and the Supermarket where they grabbed many items, including airtime cards of an unspecified value.
Kabalagala Police Station chief Abby Ngako said the robbers stole sh5.7m and several items including bottles of wine from the L’Italiana Supermarket in Muyenga.
He added that the robbers also stole $500 and sh600,000 from a nearby office belonging to City Cars. A shocked Rest Corner manager only identified as Moses, narrated that there had never been such an incident at the premises which houses several supermarkets and a Barclays Bank branch. He said the five guards on duty were drugged with chloroform. Two of them were policemen, another two belonged to the ALARM Group and one was from Saracen. The men were rushed to the CASE Clinic on Buganda Road where they are admitted.
A pump attendant, Masaba, said two armed thugs ordered him to lie in a car at the station after they seized sh270,000 from his pockets.
Masaba added that later he heard someone in the supermarket ordering the thugs to shoot him but the thugs refused. He added that the person asked for a gun to shoot him, but again the thugs refused.
The second pump attendant, George Namwoyo, was by that time deeply asleep after drinking tea which is believed to have been drugged, according to Masaba. Masaba said he had also tested the tea and abandoned it on realising a nasty smell.
Police said a man claiming to be sympathiser gave the the guards tea in a kettle. They became unconscious after taking it and slept off. The thugs then looted the supermarket clean.
He said the thugs left the guns belonging to the officers behind and drove off with their loot.
Masaba explained that the robbers first switched off electricity at the station. The lone Falcon guard, Wilber Nkuruziza, was nowhere to save the situation. He added that the robbers used a mini-bus commonly known as ‘Dudu.’
Nkuruziza’s gun was abandoned at the entrance of the supermarket. Station manager Bashir Kakembo reported the robbery to the Police who retrieved the gun.
Police spokesman Asen Kasingye said investigations were going on. Kasingye added that no arrests had been made yet, but the Police are hunting for the Falcon guard as the prime suspect. He asserted that even the five guards would be interrogated.
Simeo Nsubuga, the Kampala Extra Police spokesman, appealed to the fuel filling stations and banks to hire at least two security guards. “The robbers are capitalising on the weakness of a single guard who can easily be over powered by the thugs.â€
and Brian Ssekamatte
Sh20m grabbed; five supermarkets also attacked
Armed robbers on Sunday night raided Total Filling Station belonging to the FDC chief, Col. Kizza Besigye and snatched over sh20m and an assortment of goods from the supermarket.
The robbers also raided supermarkets at Rest Corner in Muyenga, an upmarket suburb of Kampala.
Besigye told The New Vision yesterday morning that the robbery occurred at about 2:00am. He explained that the robbers broke into the strong-room where the money was and the Supermarket where they grabbed many items, including airtime cards of an unspecified value.
Kabalagala Police Station chief Abby Ngako said the robbers stole sh5.7m and several items including bottles of wine from the L’Italiana Supermarket in Muyenga.
He added that the robbers also stole $500 and sh600,000 from a nearby office belonging to City Cars. A shocked Rest Corner manager only identified as Moses, narrated that there had never been such an incident at the premises which houses several supermarkets and a Barclays Bank branch. He said the five guards on duty were drugged with chloroform. Two of them were policemen, another two belonged to the ALARM Group and one was from Saracen. The men were rushed to the CASE Clinic on Buganda Road where they are admitted.
A pump attendant, Masaba, said two armed thugs ordered him to lie in a car at the station after they seized sh270,000 from his pockets.
Masaba added that later he heard someone in the supermarket ordering the thugs to shoot him but the thugs refused. He added that the person asked for a gun to shoot him, but again the thugs refused.
The second pump attendant, George Namwoyo, was by that time deeply asleep after drinking tea which is believed to have been drugged, according to Masaba. Masaba said he had also tested the tea and abandoned it on realising a nasty smell.
Police said a man claiming to be sympathiser gave the the guards tea in a kettle. They became unconscious after taking it and slept off. The thugs then looted the supermarket clean.
He said the thugs left the guns belonging to the officers behind and drove off with their loot.
Masaba explained that the robbers first switched off electricity at the station. The lone Falcon guard, Wilber Nkuruziza, was nowhere to save the situation. He added that the robbers used a mini-bus commonly known as ‘Dudu.’
Nkuruziza’s gun was abandoned at the entrance of the supermarket. Station manager Bashir Kakembo reported the robbery to the Police who retrieved the gun.
Police spokesman Asen Kasingye said investigations were going on. Kasingye added that no arrests had been made yet, but the Police are hunting for the Falcon guard as the prime suspect. He asserted that even the five guards would be interrogated.
Simeo Nsubuga, the Kampala Extra Police spokesman, appealed to the fuel filling stations and banks to hire at least two security guards. “The robbers are capitalising on the weakness of a single guard who can easily be over powered by the thugs.â€