Police officers clash in car theft scandal, three suspects arrested

CRIME | INVESTIGATION |               

There was a scuffle between police officers from Kanyanya police station and Kamwokya police post after a suspected car thief was arrested but the officers from the two stations failed to agree on who should detain him.

This followed the theft of a motor vehicle belonging to Alex Kushemererwa on June 22, which was later traced to a garage in Kanyanya, Kawempe division. Kushemererwa reported a case of theft of a motor vehicle at Kamwokya Police post under Kira Road Police division on the same day.

Kushemererwa, 36, an Uber driver and a resident of Butukirwa zone, in Nakawa division, on June 22 took his vehicle registration number UBD 958S, a Toyota Raum, to a washing bay at Kamwokya.

It is said that one of the workers at the washing bay drove it out to an unidentified location, but it was later tracked and found in a garage in Kanyanya, Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said.

"When the owner of the car came, he found when his vehicle was not there. Fortunately, the vehicle had a tracking system and it was monitored using GPS (Global Positioning System) which located it at Kambodia Garage near Bahael Church at Kikaaya. Police from Kamwokya and the victim followed it and found the vehicle had moved to another garage in Kanyanya," he explained.

In the operation led by police officers from Kamwokya, Rajab Mpulango, the owner of the garage where the car was located was arrested.

"It is alleged the vehicle was driven back to Kamwokya washing bay after realising it was being monitored. However, it was already vandalised of part of the exhaust system," Onyango said in a statement yesterday.

When the security operatives proceeded to the garage, Onyango narrated, the owner of the garage (Mpulango) called the OC CID Kanyanya for rescue, claiming the officers from Kamwokya and the victim (Kushemererwa) were asking him for sh2.5m for vandalising the vehicle.

Kanyanya Police responded to Mpulango's call and a scuffle ensued. The officers from Kanyanya reportedly asked their colleagues from Kamwokya why the operation was carried out in their area without notifying them.

The Kanyanya officers also asked why the Kamwokya officers were demanding money instead of arresting the suspects. The officers from Kamwokya later surrendered Mpulango to their colleagues from Kanyanya.

On seeing the misunderstanding between Police officers, Onyango said that Kushemererwa thought that Police officers from Kanyanya were concealing something about the said garages. Following the incident, Kushemererwa posted his ordeal on social media and the incident went viral.

"The DPC (Division Police Commander) Kawempe was informed about the incident and he proceeded with his team of detectives to Kanyanya to follow up the matter. They arrested Mpulango, the owner of the garage, and later handed him over to Kamwokya Police on June 24," Onyango explained.

Onyango said that besides Mpulango, they have also arrested Isaac Nanyole, Suleiman Mugerwa. "Our officers were not involved in the car theft racket as the social media posts of Alex seem to portray but there was lack of coordination and communication between the commanders of Kanyanya and Kamwokya," Onyango stated.

He said preliminary findings indicate that the main person behind vehicle vandalism in these garages is a one Ssalongo, but he is on the run. According to Onyango, Mpulango is said to be the main technician in the vandalism.

The suspects are currently detained at Kira Road Police Station on charges of stealing from a motor vehicle. Onyango said the suspects are likely to appear in court next week, adding that three other suspects are on the run. "We want to appeal to members of the public not to trust their car keys with the people at the washing bays," he added.