Africa-Press – Uganda. Police are holding six people suspected of being members of an armed gang that has been waylaying traders on Kampala-Mityana road.
The armed robbers have been erecting fake security checkpoints on the road at night and putting unsuspecting motorists at gunpoint before robbing them of their cash, merchandise and other belongings.
Mr Charles Twiine, the spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Directorate, yesterday said six suspects, who are all civilians, were arrested with toy guns, machetes and military fatigues after a six-month hunt.
“They have been targeting transporters dealing in produce. They were using fake checkpoint signs, uniforms and a toy gun. We have recovered most of the items they were using in the robberies,” Mr Twiine said.
More than a dozen robberies have been reported to police in Jezza Trading Centre on Mityana Road and Mende Sub-county in Wakiso District since September last year. Police said the criminals have been getting away with the robberies until last week when they attacked a truck driver whom they robbed of his vehicle and the bags of maize he was carrying.
Mr Twiine said the suspects drove the truck and sold the maize to a trader but on the way back, the vehicle was involved in an accident in Mukono District.
Police officers in Mukono were able to trace where the vehicle had offloaded the bags of maize from.
“We arrested the store owner, who led us to those who sold him the maize and we were able to track down the entire gang and arrest them,” he said.
Mr Twiine said the suspects have been positively identified by the victims of the several robbery incidents.
In March, the suspects reportedly attacked more than five trucks at Bamunanika on Kampala-Mityana road. Police allege that the attackers stabbed two of their victims before they robbed the truck.
On January 19, they used the same method and robbed five people at Nswanjere Village on Mityana Road.
It is alleged that some of the victims informed the police officers at Bujjuuko Police Station early enough but the commanders declined to respond for fear that it would be a trap to ambush them.
Later, Wakiso Police Division sent a patrol vehicle full of armed police officers but by the time they reached, the thugs had already fled the area.
Recent raids
On January 19, the thugs waylaid one Patrick Ssebunya and robbed him of his mobile phone and money at night. On the same night, thugs ambushed Mr Julius Mporanyimana and Mr Timothy Baluku, whom they robbed of all their possessions in Jjeza Village on Mityana Road.
On December 7 last year, thugs ambushed Mr Issa Kaddu as he was driving a Toyota Canter carrying beans belonging to Mr Morris Tumulama at Nkoowe on Mityana Road. Mr Hillary Asua was also in the vehicle. The thugs tied their victims with ropes and abandoned them in the bush.
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