Police arrests 97 in crackdown on criminal gangs

By Arafat Nzito 

The territorial Police in West Nile Regional has arrested a total of 97 suspected criminals belonging to various criminal groups who have been terrorising locals in Arua city.

According to police, the weekend sting operations were conducted following a public outcry over notorious thieves who had started grabbing bags and valuable items from vulnerable people especially women and school children in broad daylight.

Locals who spoke to this website confirmed that security had become a serious problem hence security had to intervene before the situation got out of hand.

The District Police Commander ASP Jude Nasucha said that since April, they have been surveilling the said gangs and over the weekend, they conducted an intelligence led operation in which 97 criminals were arrested.

“We have arrested mostly the leadership of such gangs who have been recruiting others in such groups,” ASP Nasucha said.

“Arua has over five notorious criminal gangs which include Fire Eaters, Jobless Millionaires, Above the Law, 35 Dogs, and all these are young boys and many are under 30 years,” he added.

In their illegal operations, police said that they move in groups of 5-7 people and sometimes they operate using numberless motorcycles and target people with money, phones and other items all day round.

A number of them were picked from their dwelling places where operatives also made recoveries of  numberless motorcycles, house breaking implements, marijuana and other dangerous weapons such as knives.

Police further warned other criminals still at large that they should either leave the gangs or risk to be arrested in the shortest time.

“This is to the criminals who came running to Arua to disorganise the city to go back back because this city will not be healthy enough for them to operate,” said the West Nile Regional Police spokesperson Josephine Angucia.