Police recovers guns, ammunition from suspected robbers

Police in Gulu has recovered two semi-automatic rifles with ten rounds of ammunition from suspected robbers.

The two guns recovered includes rifles SAR with registration number UG-POL-M511045106976 and UG—POL-163768106970

The rifle with registration number UG—POL-163768106970 was recovered from Aywee sub ward in Pece division, Gulu Municipality with nine rounds of ammunition on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 2am and the other with registration number UG—POL-163768106970 with a round of ammunition, whose butt broke in a scuffle when the assailant tried to rob residents in Paicho sub-county and fled leaving it behind last week.

The guns recovered are believed to be among those that have been used in a wave of armed robberies that have rocked Gulu municipality and neighboring sub-counties in recent weeks.

The Aswa Region police spokesperson, Patrick Jimmy Okema while addressing journalists on Wednesday at Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) said the gun recovered from Aywee was stolen from Aaron Lubangakene, a security guard in Kitgum on the 27th February 2016 from Mewa Ducu depot where he was deployed.

He added that Lubangakene was convicted for losing the recovered rifle and is serving his sentence for negligence of duty.

Okema said four police officers who were on night duty at Gulu Central Police station are in detention after one of the suspects arrested with a loaded gun from Aywee sub ward escaped from them in the wee hours of Wednesday morning shortly after his arrest.

He said the detained police officers whose names have been withheld in order not to jeopardize investigations.

"It is funny that a suspect we arrested following a tip off and intelligence reports from concerned residents at 2am, but he managed to escape from the counter at Gulu Central Police Station. The four police officers who were on night duty when a suspect escaped are in detention," he noted.

Okema said the District Police Commander will constitute a disciplinary court to determine whether the suspect escaped because of negligence or conspiracy on the part of those on duty at the station.

He appealed to people in Aswa region to be vigilant and report any suspected persons to police or local leaders near them to fight crimes in the region.