Ten police officers in Kampala have been taken into custody for allegedly robbing Shs146m from suspected thieves who were accused of stealing Shs407m from a Burundian national on April 27, 2023.
The victim was robbed by three men on a motorcycle who snatched a bag containing $110,000 (Shs407m) and Euros700 (Shs2.9m) shortly after he exited a forex bureau in Makindye. The victim passed out upon losing the money, but volunteers resuscitated him before contacting a police informant who alerted law enforcement.
Crime Intelligence (CI) officers at Katwe Police Station tracked the suspects to Gangu, Masajja, in Makindye Division and recovered the unspent cash. However, the officers were later arrested and held for two days at the same Katwe Police Station where they had locked up the suspected thieves they arrested in Makindye.
Investigators have preferred charges of aggravated robbery against the officers because their operation to arrest the first suspects and recover the cash involved the use of guns.
The officers were released on police bond as investigations to trace the missing money continue.
This is a worrying trend as police annual crime reports indicate a 30 percent increase in cases reported to the police, with 6,854 robbery cases reported in 2022, compared to 5,275 cases in 2021.
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