Mobile theft gang busted, two held

CRIME 

KAMPALA- Police in Kampala has busted a suspected criminal gang, believed to have been stealing mobile phones from the traders' shops.

Ibrahim Mwanda alias Alex, a resident of Mpereerwe, a city suburb in Kawempe Division, was arrested on Wednesday (September, 09 2020) alongside Naphtal Byaruhanga, a resident of Buloba, in Wakiso district, allegedly for being part of the racket.

The Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the duo's arrest.

"Our detectives from Kampala Central Police Station have now embarked on identifying both; the buyers and those that directly participate in stealing these phones because both are wrong," he said.

The chairperson of Uganda Phone Traders Association (UPTA), Hillary Sempala told New Vision that Mwanda, has on several occasions been captured on their cameras planted in their shops while stealing phones.

 "We have been circulating his video clips on different social media platforms until God answered our prayers and we located his whereabouts, together with his close accomplice, Byaruhanga," said Sebaggala.

One of the victims, Sylvia Tendo, burst into tears when she reached CPS, where the two suspects had been detained from.

She said that towards the lockdown, she was fired from her workplace at Simba Telecom, along Kampala road where one of the suspects (Mwanda) disguised as a customer and later stole an ASI phone worth sh2.5m.

"Can you imagine the same man found me at my new location on Mutaasa Kafeero, where I had just got a new job and tried to apply his usual tricks with intent to steal me again?" Tendo lamented.

Stephen Kiryowa, who operates a phone shop on Mutaasa Kafeero building claims the similar gang stole his Prism S10 phone worth sh2m.

Other victims include; Salma Muwuwa, who lost her Iphone 11 Promax, worth sh4.5m, Najib Sekitende, lost XS max phone worth sh2.5m, Olivia Nabukalu, lost her Iphone XR worth sh3.2m, Isma Kalule, lost S2O+ worth sh3.2m, Andrew lost Iphone X5, worth sh2.5m and Emmy Tendo among others.

Police said that all the case files reported by phone traders in relation to phone theft, are going to be thoroughly investigated to its logical conclusion.

Some of them include; SD: 24/13/08/2020, SD: 25/25/07/2020, SD: 85/15/07/2020, SD: 56/06/8/2020, SD: 19/07/09/2020, SD 10/08/08/2020, and SD: 34/17/08/2020, among others.

Meanwhile, Kampala Central Police Operations Commander, Ivan Nduhura, urged the traders to install CCTV cameras in their shops and also be on a watch out of criminals that may want to steal from them.