How Police tracked man who stole $80,000 from Don Zella

Jan 06, 2021

A sum of $60,000 in counterfeit money was been recovered from the suspect

CCTV recordings at the Speke Apartments, constant phone communications, and a flashy lifestyle in Arua where he fled to, led to the arrest of 36-year-old Jeremy Adome on Tuesday, security sources have revealed.

On Wednesday, Uganda Police Force confirmed it had arrested Adome who is accused of breaking into room 107 at Speke Apartments where he allegedly stole $80,000 (sh296m) before fleeing to Arua.

Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Patrick Onyango confirmed Adome was being held at Jinja Road Police Station.

"The money that was allegedly stolen belonged to one Sheila Nandege also known as Don Zella, who had booked the apartment for 30 days on December 5, 2020. According to CCTV footage recovered from the apartment on December 24, 2020, the suspect, who is the same time a resident in the building, is seen accessing room 107 with another person yet to be arrested. They are later seen leaving with items. The suspect later fled to his home in Arua," Owesigire noted.

The counterfeit dollars that were allegedly found on Adome.

He said the Police used all relevant information available and was able to trace him to his home.

Sources noted that shortly after Adome broke into the rooms, he maintained an exquisite lifestyle and occasionally held parties in different bars in Arua town raising suspicion. After reviewing the CCTV footage, Adome and his accomplice were identified breaking into the room and it became easier to track him down.

"He was arrested yesterday. A sum of $60,000 in counterfeit money was been recovered from the suspect and it has since been exhibited.  He has, however, insisted that the exhibited money is what he stole from the room. Police is investigating these allegations," Owesigire said.

Owesigire noted that they were also hunting for his accomplice who was seen in the footage breaking into the room at Speke Apartments.

"We call upon service providers to, at all times, monitor their security to avoid such incidents in the future," Owesigire further stated.

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