Police goes hard on criminals targeting boda boda riders

Police in Kampala Metropolitan south together with divisions of Kajansi and Katwe conducted several operations in which they cracked down on criminal gangs that were participating in aggravated robberies of boda boda motorcycles.

Police said the operations that were conducted on the 8th of October 2022 followed complaints from bod boda riders specifically about the robbery of their motorcycles, stealing of number plates and attacks on their lives.

Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, said these operations were a result of the theft of number plates, from the home of one of the victims known as Asirye James in Kakoola Mutungo, who later alerted police about the incident.

“So, when he reported the theft of his number plate UBG 329Z, it led to the arrest of Ssegirinya Nalutulikye Emmanuel of Kajjansi KKB Cell and Byamukama Emmanuel Julius of Mutungo. So, we thoroughly interrogated them and we noticed that these are two members of a criminal gang from way back in June,” he said.

He said the group had upgraded from theft of number plates to robbing motorcycles, especially those that had been newly acquired.

It was learnt that when the suspects rob brand new motorcycles which go for about Shs5.6 million, they sell them off at Shs300,000 to their dealers per motorcycle.

Upon their arrest, one of the suspects, Byamukama Julius, led the police to the dealers who buy these stolen motorcycles.

Enanga confirmed that a one Kinene Badru and his son, Wasswa Kayizi, in Kibutika zone, Ndejje, were also arrested.

The two dealers, father and son, later led police to Katuga Jamadah who specialized in the alteration of chassis and engine numbers of motorcycles. Katuga was always helping in the forging of log books.

Enanga also noted that over 78 motorcycles have so far been recovered from the areas of Muganzi Lwaza, Kisungula Zone in Mutundwe, Make zone in Lunguja, and lower Konge Zone in Buziga.

As the operation went on, police managed to curb down 11 suspects who included Kinene Badru, Katuga Jamadah, Nalutukye Ssegirinya Emanuel, Byamukama Emmanuel, Walukaga Ibrahim, Kassasa Ronald, Kizito Godfrey, Matovu Charles, Ssebowa David, Ssekide Rajab and Ssemanda Paul.

Aside from the 78 motorcycles that were recovered by police, 9 shops located at White Nile in Katwe were also raided, hence recovering 6 motorcycle engines, 2 motorcycle tanks, 11 shock absorbers, 3 motorcycles frames, 2 number plates, 32 log books, and metallic letters for branding number plates among others.