Unknown assailants raided Kasasa cell, Hoima West division in Hoima City and strangled a businessman to death. The deceased has been identified as Joshua Barongo 30, a resident of the same area who was operating a hardware shop.
The assailants raided the deceased’s business premises on Sunday night at an unknown time and strangled him to death before making off with over 30 million shillings that he had kept in his shop. It is reported that on Saturday, the deceased withdrew thirty million shillings from one of the commercial banks in Hoima city.
It is suspected that the assailants could have trailed him to his shop, where he was found dead. On Monday morning, his neighbours did not see him open the shop as he used to. All his known mobile telephone numbers were switched off.
The neighbour became suspicious and alerted area leaders and the police. With authorization from the police, on Monday afternoon, they broke into the deceased’s shop only to discover his lifeless body inside his shop. His hands, and his legs, and mouth were reportedly tied with a piece of cloth.
Abel Isingoma, the area LCI Chairperson, says the assailants could have been trailing the deceased for along especially after he withdrew money from the bank on Saturday. He says the deceased had bruises on the neck, an indication that he could have been strangled.
Mary Kaahwa, the deceased’s mother, says she was concerned after she waited for her son to open his shop on Monday morning in vain. She says she tried calling on his phone, but it was off. She wonders why the assailants targeted his son. Kaahwa appealed to the police to expedite investigations to ensure that the culprits are apprehended for justice to prevail.
Patrick Byamukama, a resident, says that the residents in the area are living in fear after the incident. He asked the police to intensify night patrols to fight crime in the area.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson, says a team of flying squad detectives has been deployed in the area to track down the suspects and calls on area residents to cooperate with security by providing crucial information that could lead to the arrest and detention of the culprits. According to Hakiza, police rushed and picked up the body that was later conveyed to the Hoima city mortuary, where it is currently lying pending postmortem-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
