Two young individuals found themselves in legal trouble on Tuesday after they posted a video claiming to have expertise in cracking codes on stolen smartphones and laptops.
In the video, they boasted about their ability to bypass security locks on stolen iPhones and Android devices, which they then sold to unsuspecting buyers. The video quickly went viral, inciting public outrage, particularly among Ugandans who have had their mobile phones stolen, often during traffic jams.
This public reaction prompted the police to initiate a search for the suspects. By Tuesday afternoon, both individuals had been apprehended and detained at the Central Police Station in Kampala. According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Mr. Patrick Onyango, during questioning, the youths admitted to making the video but claimed their intention was merely to attract more viewers to their social media channels.
“Police cannot overlook the statements made in the video. We have confiscated smartphones and other electronic devices found in their possession for detailed forensic examination. The investigation is ongoing,” Onyango stated.
The theft of mobile phones and other electronic devices is a growing concern in the country and represents a significant financial loss for many individuals.
One of the suspects, who appeared in the video, is an IT student at a public tertiary institute in Nakawa, Kampala, specializing in ICT courses. Onyango confirmed that the youth’s claim of being an ICT student was accurate.
“We need to determine if the criminal activities he described in the video are factual. This is why both he and his associate are being held as we continue our investigation,” Onyango added.
There have been multiple instances of individuals posting claims of criminal activity on social media that later proved to be false. Last year, Rasto Kalenzi from Lugazi Township falsely claimed on TikTok to be involved in the killing of school children in Kasese District. He was later prosecuted for promoting terrorism and received a light jail sentence after admitting he made the claim to gain likes on TikTok.
In the recent video, the suspect detailed his role in unlocking stolen phones, deleting their serial numbers, and altering their operating systems. He claimed to use specific software for these tasks.
Police often rely on original serial numbers to track stolen phones, and once these numbers are altered, recovering the devices becomes significantly more challenging. Consequently, most stolen phones remain unrecovered.
According to police reports, thieves stole mobile phones worth approximately Shs506 billion from 7,311 victims last year, marking a 6.8 percent increase from 2022. Recovered handsets during the same period were valued at about Shs1.5 billion. Many thefts involved criminals accessing victims’ bank and mobile money passwords, subsequently withdrawing funds at nearby banking agents.
