Hunt for man suspected of defiling five girls intensifies

Aug 12, 2020

Two of the alleged victims are his nieces

Barely a month after the Police's human trafficking department took over the case where a man defiled five girls in Rwampara district, a foreign agency has also joined the hunt for the suspect.

Sources privy to the probe have revealed that the International Justice Mission joined the Police to hunt for the suspect believed to have fled to a mountainous area in Western Uganda.

In June, the New Vision reported that investigations were underway into the alleged action of 48-yr-old Francis Karamaga, a resident of Murago Cell in Rwampara district after the Police identified him as the prime suspect.

So far, emerging details indicate that Kamaraga defiled the girls aged between four and nine, on the same day at his home. Two of the victims are his nieces.

Sources privy the probe told New Vision that "drones have been deployed in a bid to aid tracking Kamaraga."  Previously, the Police was relying on relatives to track his whereabouts.

"They have surveillance teams. They are using the little information they have to survey the possible areas to trace for him."

Last month, the Police's human trafficking department took over a case.  The human trafficking department is attached to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquartered in Kibuli, Kampala.

Sources said a team of detectives attached to the department was dispatched to Western Uganda to pursue the suspect.

A preliminary Police report indicates that the suspect lured the victims to his home using jackfruit before preying on the girls and threatening to kill them if they told anyone about the incident.

However, the children reported the matter to their parents when they faced pain and difficulty when easing themselves.

Police surgeons have since examined the children and recommended medication pending ongoing investigations.

Report

In 2019, a total of 13,613 cases of defilement were reported to the Police compared to 15,366 cases reported in 2018, indicating an 11.4% decrease.

By the end of the year, 5,732 cases were taken to court, out of which 1,021 cases secured convictions, 69 cases were acquitted, 474 cases were dismissed and 4,168 cases were still pending in court. A total of 4,897 cases were still under investigation.

A total of 5,889 suspects were arrested and charged to court out of which 1,006 were convicted while 4,353 were still awaiting trial in the period under review.

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