Police in Nebbi district have in custody a man who was shot and injured while attempting to steal from a moving fuel tanker.
According to police, the suspect identified as Navia Oyirwoth is among the highway robbers who are fond of stealing goods from moving trucks along Pakwach-Nebbi highway.
Josephine Angucia, the West Nile regional police spokesperson, said that on Monday night, officers at Nyaravur police post received information from a local leader that some youths had resumed their criminality of stealing from heavy goods vehicles at Nyaravur area.
“In response the OC and his team decided to go out on patrol to secure the highway. While on duty at around 4:00am, the officers saw three men on top of a moving fuel tanker dropping down items,” she said.
The officers followed the truck and ordered the suspects to come down.Two of the suspects escaped however a one Navia Oyirwoth now in custody came down and confronted the police officers with knives.
“The officers shot a bullet in the air to warn the suspect but he was relentless in his attack on them. He was then shot on the leg to disable him and he was arrested and taken to Nebbi general hospital for treatment,” Angucia added.
However, in the operation, Angucia stated that police recovered a sack of chicken feeds, five cartons of mineral water and five empty jerricans at the scene.
Meanwhile, the fuel tanker driver in question who was believed to be heading to Democratic Republic of Congo, did not stop as he did not realise what was happening.
This incident is part of a wider operation which was launched by west Nile regional police to wipe out thieves who target heavy goods trucks as they pass through the hilly parts of the region.