Africa-Press – Tanzania. POLICE in Katavi Region have arrested 16 people for allegedly stealing various items of construction including 4,100 litres of fuel- being the property of Ximen Ongoing Construction Group Co. Ltd.
The contractor has been contracted to carry out the construction of strategic Karema Port Terminal on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanganyika District, Katavi region at 48bn/-.
The construction of the strategic terminal will serve as a major zonal port to be linked by the railway line from Mpanda once completed on March 2022.
Katavi Regional Police Commander (RPC) Benjamin Kuzaga told reporters here in the municipality over the weekend during a press conference that the arrest was made possible after a tip some citizens.
He named the suspects as Jackson Mathias from Ikola village, Godfrey Kigongo, Joseph Haule from Karema village, Ibrahimu Simba from Inyonga, a small town in Mlele District.
Others were Ayubu Athuman, Chuki Wiliam, Jipala Nekala, Lusonguye Kaise, Jacob Thobias Muse, Enelil Benedictor all from Karema village in Tanganyika District.
Equally, the RPC identified the stolen items as 68 pieces of iron bars, 188 plastic drums, two batteries of vehicles, greese weighing seven kilograms and oil lubricant weighing 10 kgs.
“The stolen items whose actual values were yet to be known were seized by law enforcers…All 16 suspects are still being interrogated by law enforcers and once preliminary investigations are completed, they will be taken to court,” he added.
Meanwhile the Katavi Regional Commissioner (RC) Ms Mwanamvua Mrindoko ordered all who allegedly involved in stealing incident at the port terminal to surrender themselves to police officers, adding that whoever would-be caught would face the full force of the law.
