Police in Kampala Metropolitan East have arrested three suspects believed to be part of a network involved in phone snatching and dealing in stolen mobile phones. The arrests were made by detectives attached to Jinja Road Police Station following the robbery of an iPhone Pro Max valued at approximately Shs5.7 million from a businesswoman near Capital Shoppers, opposite Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in Nakawa, on August 29, 2026.
According to Police, investigations involving CCTV footage and information from human sources led to the identification and arrest of Hassan Semujju on September 2, 2026. Semujju reportedly confessed to the offence and led detectives to a suspected middleman, Fred Sitakange, who was also arrested.
Sitakange subsequently led Police to Namegabe Jean Marie, a Congolese national suspected of receiving stolen phones and facilitating their transportation to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Public Relations Officer, said the arrests followed investigations aimed at dismantling networks involved in stealing and trafficking mobile phones.
“We have arrested three suspects who are believed to be involved in phone snatching and dealing in stolen mobile phones. The arrests followed investigations using CCTV footage and information from our human sources,” Owoyesigyire said. Police said preliminary investigations indicate that Semujju is a repeat offender who had previously been arrested in connection with mobile phone theft, while Sitakange had earlier been arrested over a bank fraud case.
Owoyesigyire said investigations had also established that Jean Marie was allegedly involved in receiving stolen phones for transportation to the DRC. “He disclosed that he receives large numbers of stolen iPhones from his contacts, which are then transported to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Owoyesigyire said.
Police also recovered three iPhones from Sitakange, which he could not account for and later admitted were stolen.
“Three iPhones were recovered from Sitakange. He could not initially account for them, but later admitted that they were stolen,” Owoyesigyire said. Police said investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the suspected network involved in phone snatching and trafficking of stolen mobile phones.
“We are continuing with investigations to identify and arrest other members of this network involved in phone snatching and the trafficking of stolen phones,” Owoyesigyire said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
