25-man armed gang raids Mayuge

MAYUGE - The Police in Mayuge have arrested seven of the 25-man armed gang that raided Mayuge district and robbed an unspecified amount of cash from a filling station on Tuesday.

At around 2:00am on June 29, the armed men tied up a private security guard and two pump attendants at Kasugu fuel station before beating them up at Kasugu zone, Kyebando ward, Mayuge Town Council, according to the Police.

The thugs also took an SAR rifle UG PSO W0817 with four rounds, after tying up the guard identified as Bradson Okello, 26, attached to Centurian Security Company. A case of aggravated robbery referenced as CRB 297/2020, was registered at Mayuge police station.

According to a police report from Busoga East region, another security guard identified as Stephen Abat, guarding at Acts Africa, an organization with its offices opposite Kasugu Fuel Station, was also tied up.

"The robbers gained entrance to the safe room and attempted to break the safe in vain. Police and UPDF officers attached to Magamaga Cantonment Barracks responded, exchanged fire with the robbers who fled the scene abandoning some breaking implements and later abandoning the guard's gun at Imanyiro village, Mbaale parish, Imanyiro sub-county in Mayuge district," the report said.

Police visited the scene with sniffer dogs which led to the arrest of seven suspects whose houses were searched with no relevant exhibits recovered. The suspects have been detained at Mayuge Police Station pending ongoing investigations.

During the period under review, a total of 17 major incidents were reported to police, 15 lives were lost and 13 suspects were arrested.

In all 28 regions of police, 19 regions reported no major incidents.  The incidents that ended people's lives included cases of murder, mob justice, suicide and sudden death.

Report

The 2019 annual crime report indicated that a total of 6,761 cases of robbery were reported, compared to 7,354 cases in 2018 resulting in an 8% decrease.

Cases of robbery (where lethal weapons were not used) were 4,428, while cases of aggravated robbery (where lethal weapons were used e.g. firearms, knives hammer, and machetes, etc.) were 2,333.

Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) north region (Kawempe division) registered the highest number of robbery cases with 634, followed by KMP South (Makindye division) with 549 cases and KMP East with 519 cases.

District/Divisions with the highest number of cases were Arua with 276 cases, followed by Lira with 211 cases and Mbarara with 209 cases.