Uganda Police are holding 11 people following an investigation into a reported aggravated robbery and rape in the central district of Wakiso, after officers used a police sniffer dog to trace a scent from the crime scene.
According to a statement from the Uganda Police Force, the incident was reported to have occurred at about 4:00am on Tuesday in Nakirama Cell, Kyengera Town Council.
Police said the victim told investigators that an unidentified assailant broke into her shop, threatened her with a knife while demanding money, and later sexually assaulted her before fleeing.
The case was reported at Kikajo Police Post, after which detectives from the Criminal Investigations Directorate, crime scene officers and the Police Canine Unit were deployed, police said.
Investigators said the scene had been preserved before a police sniffer dog, identified by authorities as TP 297 Sofia, was introduced to the area where the alleged attack took place.
According to police, the dog tracked a scent for about one kilometre to a nearby bar, where officers found more than 10 people.
Police said the dog indicated one individual during the operation, after which officers detained all 11 people who were present at the location for further investigation.
The suspects remain in custody, according to the statement pending investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the reported attack and to establish who may have been responsible.
