Police have started investigating a new wave of motorcycle thefts in several parts of Kampala in which thugs target boda boda riders operating past curfew time.
According to Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, the attackers moving in vehicles target boda bodas riding past curfew time that they knock down before fleeing with their motorbikes.
“In these robberies, a motor vehicle driver knocks down a rider off the road. The driver and his accomplices stop and take the motorcycle leaving the injured rider,”Owoyesigyire said.
The deputy Kampala police mouthpiece noted that Katwe Police Station has now registered three incidents involving such kinds of robberies, adding that while investigating of these cases, they were tipped off of a vehicle suspected to be used in the robberies.
“The motor vehicle had been parked in a yard at Ndejje-Lubugumu yesterday. The police cordoned off the area and a number of items like machetes and wooden bars were found inside the vehicle. The owner of the parking yard led police to the owners of the vehicle, who have been arrested and identified as Robert Mugisha and another called Sam Muyomba . A search at their residences enabled police to recover several motorcycle parts,”Owoyesigyire said.
He noted they are still looking for more suspects who are on the run but urged riders to always be vigilant while on the road.
“We also advise them to adhere to the Ministry of Health guidelines on curfew since most of the incidents happen during that time.”
The cases of boda boda robberies had greatly reduced in the past two or so years since 2019 when security dismantled a gang that was targeting riders by either strangling them or hitting them with hard objects on the heads before taking off with their motorcycles.
The gang coordinated and operated in several parts of the country that after the robberies, the motorcycles would either be dismantled or ridden to upcountry towns like Arua whereas others ended up in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
