Police battle Jinja robbers, one netted

By Donald Kiirya in Jinja 

POLICE in Jinja on Monday battled thugs suspected of robbing two employees of STAR EC at gun point while on their way to office. 

Police battled the thugs at Kakira in Jinja district after trailing them with a Police patrol vehicle. The thugs were in a Premio car with a fake registration number plate UAP 578Q. It was established by Police that the real number plate was UAS 795U. 

According to the Kiira region Police Commander, Alex Twebaze, three thugs robbed shs106m from an accountant of STAR EC, a USAID funded NGO based in Jinja and later shot Ponsiano Jagenda the driver of motor vehicle UAJ 614Y in both arms as he tried to fight them back. 

He said the thugs were armed with an AK47 guns and a pistol but later sped off using their Premio car and were intercepted from Kakira by Police, leaving the car behind. 

“Thugs first shot at Police which also prompted it to open fire as they chased them. In the battle, one thug Peter Baryesiima who was driving the Premio was shot in the back and later arrested,” Twebaze said. 

He noted that two other armed thugs who had the stolen cash ran and disappeared into the sugarcane plantation. 

Baryesiima was arrested and during interrogation, he revealed his accomplices who included Moses Otemoto, a resident of Kawempe in Kampala and Joseph Lule. 

“Baryesiima will assist Police with information that will lead to the arrest of his accomplices during investigations,” Twebaze said. 

He said Jagenda was transferred to Mulago hospital from Jinja regional referral hospital for further treatment. 

Twebaze also cautioned staff of various NGOs to always have Police escorts whenever they go to withdraw large sums of money so that the money can reach its destination safely.

This is the second incident where employees of STAR EC in Jinja have been robbed of large sums of money while from banks and the first occurred last year where a lady was robbed of unknown amounts of money. 

This was the second armed robbery to happen in Jinja in a space of two weeks.