Two suspected car robbers have been killed and another critically injured after a mob attacked them in Kakumiro District following the theft of a vehicle from a resident in Nkooko Town Council.
The incident occurred at about 2 am on Tuesday in Kamunsenene Cell, after the suspects allegedly broke into the home of Wilson Kacwamba and stole his Mitsubishi Canter tipper truck, registration number UBN 177D.
Kacwamba said he had parked the vehicle in his compound before going to bed. He was alerted to the theft when he stepped outside at about 2 am and discovered that the vehicle was missing. He immediately alerted residents, who mobilised and mounted roadblocks at several points across Nkooko Town Council.
in an attempt to intercept the suspects. According to information gathered by Uganda Radio Network (URN), the suspects were driving the stolen vehicle at high speed when they approached one of the roadblocks. The driver reportedly lost control, causing the truck to overturn several times.
Residents who gathered at the scene reportedly descended on the three occupants, beating two of them to death and leaving the third critically injured and unconscious. Patrick Nyangabyaki, the LCIII chairperson of Nkooko Town Council, said police were alerted shortly after the incident and arrived at the scene.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region police spokesperson, said police retrieved the bodies and took them to Kakumiro Health Centre IV mortuary, where they are being held pending postmortem examinations and identification. The injured suspect is also receiving treatment at the same health facility under tight security.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over vehicle and cattle theft in Nkooko Town Council. In August, police in Kakumiro recovered three suspected stolen vehicles and four cattle following a pursuit of suspected thieves.
The operation was launched after Kakumiro Central Police Station received a report that motor vehicles and cattle had been stolen from Nkooko Sub-county. A team of Flying Squad detectives was dispatched to track down the suspects. Acting on intelligence that they were travelling along the Kakumiro-Hoima Road, the detectives mounted a roadblock along the route.
Two black Toyota Noah vehicles, registration numbers UBR 653Y and UA 602DA, reportedly approached the roadblock, but their occupants defied orders to stop and attempted to flee.
Police officers fired several warning shots, prompting the suspects to abandon the vehicles and escape into a nearby bush. Four suspected stolen cows were recovered from the vehicles.
The Police pursued a Toyota Premio, registration number UAZ 353Q, which had reportedly been stolen from Nkooko Town Council. The occupants abandoned the Premio and fled into a nearby bush after detectives intercepted them in Kisengwe Village. They reportedly evaded arrest despite several warning shots. The recovered vehicles and cattle were taken to Kakumiro Central Police Station as investigations continued-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
