In a series of dramatic events that unfolded last week, a staggering sum of Shs192 million was stolen not once, not twice, but three times within the span of a few hours, leading to a high-stakes chase, arrests, and a remarkable recovery of the stolen cash.

It all began when a group of men, travelling in a Toyota Noah, targeted Shaturah Namata, a cashier from Give and Take Hardware in Nateete, as she was en route to the bank with a substantial sum of money. The assailants forcibly abducted Namata, along with the bag containing the cash, and transported her to a remote location in Kiwanga, Mukono District, where they abandoned her.

Fortunately, Namata managed to raise the alarm, and with the help of a passing boda boda rider, she initiated a daring pursuit of the robbers’ vehicle. Other boda boda riders swiftly joined the chase, determined to apprehend the culprits.

Despite the robbers’ attempt to evade capture by changing their vehicle’s number plates, the vigilant boda boda operators, armed with keen observation skills, tracked them down to Bweyogerere. Realizing they had been discovered, the robbers sped off towards the Northern Bypass, with the determined boda boda riders in hot pursuit.

As the chase intensified, a police patrol vehicle intervened, joining forces with the boda boda riders. In a dramatic turn of events, the police intercepted the robbers’ vehicle and successfully apprehended two of its occupants, while the third managed to flee the scene.

In a critical breakthrough, the bag containing the stolen money was swiftly recovered and exhibited as evidence. However, the saga didn’t end there, as subsequent investigations uncovered further complications, implicating not only the robbers but also the police officers involved in the chain of events.

Police Steal From Thief

Reports indicate that during the chaotic arrest, some officers on the patrol truck seized the opportunity to pilfer a portion of the recovered money. Upon arrival at Kira Police Station, officers assigned to handle the case file purportedly took it upon themselves to count the cash exhibit but instead used the opportunity to further their agenda.

According to sources close to the investigation, the officers allegedly poured the money onto the floor under the guise of counting it, providing an opportunity for theft. Subsequently, they reported to their superiors that they had counted Shs160 million, a figure significantly lower than the amount reported by the victim of the robbery.

The victim, Shaturah Namata, had initially reported that she was transporting Shs192 million to the bank before the robbery occurred. The glaring discrepancy between the reported amount and the sum recovered by police prompted an investigation into the missing funds.

Utilizing CCTV footage, investigators uncovered evidence suggesting that some of the cash had indeed been stolen by police officers during the purported counting process at Kira Division Police Station.

As the investigation unfolded, authorities managed to recover Shs20 million of the missing Shs32 million. Currently, nine suspects, all of whom are police officers, are in custody in connection with the theft.

Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the ongoing investigation, stating, “We have a total of nine suspects in custody, all of whom are police officers.”

He added, “They will first be tried by disciplinary as we wait for the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings to see if they will be charged criminally in courts of law.”