Police in Mityana District have recovered a rifle that went missing nearly a month ago. The firearm was discovered hidden in a heap of bean husks in Kassanda District.
The rifle, bearing serial number UG PSO-564211567/15036, was reported missing on May 20, 2026, while in the possession of Baluku Anderson, a security guard employed by Neptune Guards Ltd.
According to SSP Samson Kigozi, the Wamala Regional Police spokesperson, Baluku had been deployed at Shrida Investment Ltd in Kiwesa Cell, South Ward, Ttamu Division in Mityana District on the day the firearm disappeared.
Following the incident, Baluku was arrested and subsequently remanded as investigations into the disappearance of the rifle commenced.
‘The breakthrough came on June 11, 2026, at around 1:00 p.m., when Matovu Salim, a resident of Kikandwa Village in Kalwana Sub-county, Kassanda District, went to his garden to collect bean husks for use as fire fuel while roasting maize,’ said Mr Kigozi.
According to him, Matovu discovered a firearm wrapped in a black pair of trousers and concealed within the bean husks. The husks had been left in the garden after the family threshed beans on June 6, 2026.
Matovu immediately alerted his son, Sebakumba Erias, who visited the scene and confirmed the discovery.
‘The matter was subsequently reported to Kikandwa Police Station, prompting officers to visit and document the scene. Police recorded statements from witnesses before recovering the firearm and taking it into custody as an exhibit,’ he said.
According to SSP Kigozi, verification of the serial number confirmed that the recovered weapon was the same rifle that had been reported missing in Mityana.
‘The serial number of the recovered gun matched that of the lost rifle, thereby concluding the search,’ Kigozi said.
However, police say investigations are still ongoing to establish how the firearm, which disappeared while deployed in Mityana District, ended up hidden in bean husks in Kikandwa Village, Kassanda District.
Authorities have reassured residents of Mityana, many of whom had expressed concern following the disappearance of the firearm, that the weapon has now been recovered and is safely in police custody.
Police have urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious items or activities to security agencies.