Suspect used girlfriend's number to rob

MURDER   ROBBERY

The investigative officer, Gloria Lukundo, in the Zzana mobile money murder case has told the court that the suspect who master-planned the Zzana mobile money robbery used his girlfriend's telephone number.

"Mulunda Stanley master-planned the robbery; he continuously contacted his co-accused using, a mobile number in the names of Bintah Ssengoba, his fiancée," Lukundo said.

Mulunda, his co-accused Pte Bob Anichan, Dennis Mangusho, and Issa Ntale are charged with two counts of murder and aggravated robbery.

The charges contravene sections 188, 189, 258 and 286 of the Penal Code Act and respectively call for a death penalty and life imprisonment upon conviction.

The prosecution alleges that the accused and others still at large on June 10, 2019, at Zzana Cell Bunamwaya, Makindye Ssabagabo in Wakiso district, with malice aforethought caused the death of Harriet Nalwadda, 33 and Maureen Nakabuubi.

The accused also robbed Nalwadda of over sh6m and immediately or before the time of the armed robbery were in unlawful possession of a deadly weapon to wit two SMG rifles.

Lukundo, the Detective Superintendent of Police heading the homicide desk at Katwe Police Station told the General Court Martial chaired by Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti that the suspect also owned a second line, not his names.

"It was Mulunda's confession that he also owned a mobile number in the names of Solomon Odur which he claimed he bought from Shoprite.

It is this number that Mangusho possessed at the crime scene as he continuously received calls from Mulunda instructing him on how to conduct the robbery," she added.

Upon cross-examination, the defence counsel Maj Kamanda Silas Mutungi tasked Lukundo to explain to the court how she came to conclude that Mulunda master-planned the robbery.

"Clearly explain to the court how you came to a conclusion that the later master-planned the robbery and how did you know that their telephones were at the crime scene as you allege," Mutungi inquired.

In reply, Lukundo said that call records indicted the accused at the crime scene and that Mulunda confessed for master planning the robbery.                             

"I don't think it was a coincidence for the call records to indicate that the suspects were at the crime scene in Zzana on that fateful day, so that's where my conclusions arose," she said.

On November, 11 Binta Mulunda's girlfriend was the eleventh prosecution witness and testified against his boyfriend Mulunda on November 11.

In her testimony, she told the court that Mulunda offered her sh1m and requested her to get him a line on grounds that he had no national identity card.

"Me I gave him the line registered in my names as my husband, but I did not know that he was an armed robber. On top of that he took the sh1m that he had given me earlier," Ssengoba said.

She apologized to the court for having housed the accused during the time police was hunting them for she didn't know that they were all robbers.

"I apologise to this court for having hidden two of the accused at my brother's home, I even tried to resist their arrest from police.

I thought I was protecting my boyfriend's wealth for he told me police was hunting him because of his businesses," she said.

She added that she only overcame the lies when Ntale and Anichan were being shown on TV with rifles being part of the mobile money murders.

The state prosecutors Maj. Raphael Mugisha and Cpt. Ambrose Baguma told the court that they have closed their prosecution case having presented fifteen witnesses.

In response, Mutungi told the court that his clients were to defend themselves. The case was adjourned till December 9, 2019.