The intensified hunt for Sports Club Villa’s Captain Owori David killers has widened as Police say the number of suspects apprehended has now risen to four.
Police scored the first breakthrough over the weekend by tracking Owori David’s iPhone 14 Pro Max and arrested Munyaneza Bashir alias ‘Jemo’, a suspected dealer in stolen phones, and his associate Magoba Samuel in Kampala.
During subsequent operations, officers recovered four bags containing assorted suspected stolen electronic items, including 80 iPhones, 40 Samsung phones, 8 Redmi phones, 2 Tecno phones, 2 Infinix phones, 2 Vivo phones, 3 button phones, 4 motherboards, 3 iPads, and SIM cards from MTN, Safaricom, Airtel, and Lyca.
Police also recovered ladies’ bags with identification documents, phone covers and hard drives, while investigations are ongoing to establish the full network and link the exhibits to other reported cases of robbery and theft in Kampala and surrounding areas.
Speak at Police Headquarters during an update on the intensified investigation into the death of Owori David, Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said he had received information prior to the briefing that two more suspects in the murder had been arrested by Katwe Police Division.
“More arrests have been made, in our investigations we managed to trace the phone, and we moved forward to arrest the buyers of the stolen phone, in the process we have made more arrests and as of now we have four suspects and by this evening the number may increase.” Kituuma said.
He added that detectives have new leads on other accomplices involved in the attack that killed Owori David, and that more details will be released in due course.
Owori David, 26, was a key defender and captain for SC Villa, one of Uganda’s most celebrated football clubs. He was attacked on Tuesday around 8: 00.pm while returning home from training along Nalinya-Mpologoma road in Dubai zone, Makindye, a Kampala city suburb.
The attackers, who were riding on a motorcycle, reportedly struck him with paving stones, robbed him of an iPhone, another phone, and money, before fleeing and leaving him unconscious in a drainage channel. He was rushed to Sir Albert Cook Hospital for emergency treatment before being referred to Case Hospital, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. He succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday last week.
The killing renews concerns about violent street robberies in Kampala and its suburbs, particularly attacks by assailants riding motorcycles. His neighbours said similar incidents have previously been reported in the area and are calling for increased police patrols and improved street lighting.
President Yoweri Museveni told the NRM Parliamentary caucus in Munyonyo on Friday that security efforts must be strengthened, and that investigations should be carried out to establish if the rampant attacks are linked to corruption by police officers failing to do their job-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
