By Ivan Mwine
The police in Kampala on Wednesday conducted a joint operation in Kisenyi and other parts of Kampala from where they arrested some of the boda-boda robbers who brutalized an Ethiopian diplomat last Friday, before robbing him.
The robbery was captured live on CCTV cameras as the goons kicked, punched and clobbered the diplomat who has since been identified as Dawit Kasa, before they grabbed all his valuables, jumped onto their boda-bodas and sped off.
Their arrest was confirmed by ASP Luke Owoyesigire, the Deputy Spokesperson Kampala Metropolitan Police, who said in a statement that the Directorate of Crime Intelligence and Flying Squad Unit conducted an intelligence-led operation in areas of Kisenyi Near Link Bus terminal from where they nabbed the suspects.
ASP Owoyesigire said the operation was focused on thugs who knock down their victims before robbing them of their Money and Electronic devices.
“Last week two incidents were registered at Buganda Road and another along prince Charles Avenue where one Dawit Kasa a diplomat with the Ethiopian Embassy was robbed and assaulted on the 25th of February,” Owoyesigire said.
He added that; “Items like phones worth 2.8m and a Laptop were robbed from him. A video that was captured by the Turkish Embassy cameras has since gone viral. The 4 persons believed to have participated in these separate incidents have today been arrested.”
He identified the suspects as; Abdullamani Bakata alias Pancho , Nsubuga Emmanuel , Wanandya Agustine and Muwanda Ivan .
Owoyesigire also revealed that during the operation, the task teams also shot and put out of action one suspect only identified as Alipanda.
It is alleged that officers met serious resistance while arresting Alipanda and a bullet was discharged by one of the officers injuring him.
He later succumbed to his injuries on the way to Mulago hospital and his body was conveyed to city mortuary Mulago as investigations into the shooting incident continue.
Exhibits including 20 mobile phones, ATM cards and IDs of different nationals suspected to have been robbed, were recovered from their base of operation.
Owoyesigire also stressed that; “However, it should be noted that investigating teams had received sufficient information against that deceased person to have participated in the robberies that happened last week along Buganda Road of Shs7m Uganda shillings and other devices, the incident of rape and robbery that happened in a home of a female adult in Kayunga, at Mini price where he led a group to rob Abdallah Wanda of Shs16m Uganda shillings and having led 17 suspects at Jinja CPS to escape from Lawful custody. The group is big and the hunt is still on with the aim of arresting all the gang members.”
