A 39-year-old mobile money operator was shot dead by armed robbers in Kalongo Town Council, Agago District, on Tuesday night. The police suspect the attack was a targeted robbery.
The deceased, identified as Morish Ocana, a businessman and resident of Akado West Cell in Kalongo Town Council, was attacked at about 8:27 p.m. by assailants armed with a pistol.
According to police, the attackers confronted Ocana near his mobile money business before shooting him dead and fleeing with an unspecified amount of money.
Police spokesperson for Aswa East Region, Joe Oloya, said officers from Agago Central Police Station and Kalongo Police Station, led by Agago District Police Commander SP Kokole Umar and detectives, visited and documented the crime scene.
“The thugs armed with a pistol attacked the deceased at his mobile money shop, shot him dead and fled with an unspecified amount of money,” Oloya said in a police statement. Investigators recovered five spent cartridges from the scene.
Police said the victim’s body was found lying on its right side in a pool of blood, dressed in a white T-shirt and navy-blue trousers. Preliminary findings indicate that Ocana was operating a mobile money shop and was shot approximately 100 metres from his business premises.
The body was transported to Kalongo Hospital Mortuary pending a post-mortem examination. Police noted that the deceased’s shop was equipped with a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) system, which investigators hope will provide crucial evidence in identifying the attackers.
The motive for the killing has not yet been established, although police believe robbery was a factor in the attack. A case file has been opened and inquiries instituted as detectives intensify efforts to trace the suspects.
Police have appealed to members of the public with information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators to report to the nearest police station. The killing adds to growing concerns over armed robberies targeting mobile money operators and small business owners in northern Uganda-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
