An intelligence-led police operation has led to the arrest of eight men suspected of belonging to an aggravated robbery syndicate that investigators say had been terrorising business owners across Uganda’s Kampala Metropolitan area.
The arrests followed intelligence received on 31 July suggesting the group was preparing to launch another series of robberies.
Acting on the information, officers tracked down the suspects before the alleged attacks could be carried out, according to police.
“Our intelligence indicated that the suspects were planning to execute a series of robberies within the Kampala Metropolitan area and neighbouring districts,” Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Public Relations Officer ,Luke Owoyesigyire said. “Acting on that information, our teams mounted an intelligence-led operation that resulted in the arrest of all eight suspects before they could carry out the planned attacks.”
He said officers made a significant discovery during the arrests after recovering a brand-new panga concealed inside the trousers of one of the suspects.
“Preliminary investigations show that the group relied on motorcycles to coordinate and facilitate their criminal activities. Their preferred targets were business people carrying large sums of money, particularly mobile money operators and agent banking businesses,” Owoyesigyire said.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspects have also admitted involvement in a robbery committed on 27 July near the Kisasi Road junction in Ntinda, where a victim was attacked and robbed.
“They have confessed to participating in that incident, and our detectives are now working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the robbery, identify additional victims and determine whether the suspects are linked to other aggravated robbery cases reported across the Kampala Metropolitan policing area,” he said.
Owoyesigyire said detectives recovered two motorcycles believed to have been used during the robberies, a brand-new panga and Shs4 million in cash, which the suspects allegedly identified as proceeds from one of the robberies.
He said investigations remain ongoing to establish the full extent of the syndicate’s operations and whether more suspects are still at large.
Owoyesigyire commended members of the public for providing information that led to the operation, saying community intelligence continues to play a critical role in preventing violent crime.
He also urged business owners, particularly mobile money and agent banking operators, to strengthen their security measures when transporting large sums of cash and to report suspicious individuals or activities to the nearest police station without delay.
