Police have arrested four suspected members of a violent armed robbery gang believed to be behind a string of robberies in Entebbe and other parts of the country, recovering a rifle loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition during the operation.
The suspects were arrested in Ngogwe, Buikwe District, following a joint intelligence-led operation by Kampala Metropolitan South Police and Jinja City Police.
Detectives say the group is responsible for at least two aggravated robberies committed in Entebbe between June and August this year, and has also confessed to carrying out several other attacks in Kampala Metropolitan, eastern Uganda and the Albertine region.
Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire said investigations had established that the same criminal group carried out robberies reported on June 1 and August 3 in Entebbe.
He said intelligence-led investigations enabled detectives to identify the motorcycle used during the attacks and track the suspects, who were intercepted while attempting to return to Kampala from Buikwe District.
According to police, the first robbery occurred at Buyinja Trading Centre in Nkumba Ward, Katabi Town Council, Wakiso District, where three armed men, one allegedly dressed in military attire, attacked a sales manager of a distribution company.
The assailants reportedly fired two shots into the air, assaulted the victim and fled with about sh24m on a motorcycle.
Crime scene investigators recovered two cartridges from the scene, and subsequent forensic analysis linked the firearm used in the attack to five previous robberies within Kampala Metropolitan and four others outside the region.
The gang allegedly struck again on August 3 at Kasenyi in Bendegere Village during the offloading of goods from a truck. Police said the suspects fired a shot, threatened the cashier with a knife, stole cash and escaped using the same motorcycle.
Following their arrest, the suspects reportedly confessed to both robberies and led detectives to Ngando Village in Mukono District, where officers recovered a rifle loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition believed to have been used in the attacks.
Police said the four suspects remain in custody pending scene reconstruction and court proceedings, while operations to apprehend other members of the gang are ongoing.
Owoyesigyire reaffirmed Kampala Metropolitan South Police’s commitment to dismantling violent criminal gangs through intelligence-led operations and inter-agency collaboration. He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing timely information to support efforts to prevent and combat crime.
