Four more people have been arrested in connection with aggravated robberies carried out by a violent criminal gang, which one of its members allegedly said is led by one of the commanders of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT).
On Tuesday, this publication broke the story about the killing of one of the suspects and the capture of another, who reportedly confessed that they carried out robberies on orders of a top JATT commander. In a new development, the spokesperson of the Kampala Metropolitan Police, Ms Rachael Kawala, issued a statement saying five suspects were arrested and three guns were recovered.
‘Security agencies have arrested five suspects in connection with a series of aggravated robberies within the Kampala Metropolitan Policing area and recovered three firearms,’ Ms Kawala said on Tuesday.
According to the police, one of the suspects is a discharged soldier. She said the suspects admitted to having participated in the gunning down of the Officer-in-Charge of Ntawo Police Post, Assistant Superintendent of Police Emmanuel Bagenda, in November last year. ASP Bagenda was shot dead by armed thugs while responding to a robbery in Ntawo in Mukono District.
Last week, the police recovered three guns from the suspects.
A police source said one of the guns is owned by the Uganda Peoples Defence Force, the second belongs to the Uganda Police Force, and the third one belongs to a private security organisation.
Ms Kawala declined to comment on the claim that a senior military officer is being behind the criminal gang. A security source, who preferred anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said one suspect was shot dead during the shoot-out, while another surrendered with his rifle, pleading with the police officers to spare his life and he promised that he would reveal the persons behind their criminal gang.
This is the second time in six months that the police have recovered guns owned by an anti-terrorism unit that have been found in the criminals’ hands. In July last year, two assault rifles owned by an anti-terrorism unit were recovered during an operation against criminals at Kifuta Village in Kibira Sub-County, Kyotera District. The thugs attempted to rob Shs50 million from a coffee dealer. There has been a rise in armed robberies in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, and several parts of Mukono District.
Criminals captured on CCTV cameras
Since April last year, two men armed with assault rifles have been captured on CCTV cameras robbing different businesses in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, and parts of Mukono District. The suspects have been targeting mobile money shops and wholesale businesses. Last year, the police were concerned about the insecurity in areas of Kampala East Police Region. Mid last year, Mr Kituuma reported similar incidents in Namugongo Division, Kira Municipality in Wakiso District, and in Goma Division, Mukono District, where the residents were attacked by thugs armed with machetes and knives, who raided their homes.
‘The attackers began their spree in Nabweru-Mukono District, then continued through Kyaliwajjala, Sonde in Wakiso, and later proceeded to Seeta Town in Mukono, as admitted by one of the suspects. On their return route to Nabweru, they committed another robbery at Namanve Industrial Park along the Kampala-Jinja highway,’ he said. The mentioned places are residential areas that are home to hundreds of people in the middle and working class, who provide labour in the city and the industrial areas of Mukono District, Wakiso District, and Kampala City.