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Police have arrested two people suspected of fuelling theft of vehicle spare parts in areas of Kiteezi ward, Kasangati town council, in Wakiso district. The suspects who were arrested by Kiteezi police backed up by soldiers have been identified as Rogers Bukenya 30, and Nicholas Nagaba 30.
Security swung into action after receiving information from the defense secretary of the Kabaga-Kayanga zone that Bukenya was carrying suspected stolen parts of a vehicle. Police established that stolen items included breaking lights, side mirrors, and four switch locks.
ASP Luke Owoyesigyire said Bukenya admitted the spare parts from a Fielder vehicle UBH 533C belonging to Sekasanvu Andrew 34. “Further investigations led to the arrest of his promoter, Nagaba Nicholas who had come to buy the stolen items. The police recovered the stolen properties, which were worth UGX3,100,000,” ASP Owoyesigyire said.
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Bukenya, in his statement, has also confessed to being a serial thug who had been stealing from various vehicles for the last two years. Police said he revealed that he and his accomplices usually sold the stolen spare parts to a man on Zion Plaza at Kiseka market.
“The police are currently searching for the buyer and his store, and efforts are being made to recover any suspected stolen properties. The case file will be forwarded to the Resident State Attorney for advice when investigations are done,” ASP Owoyesigyire said.
Many people have lost their cars or spare parts in the Kampala metropolitan and some have never been recovered. A Fielder belonging to a journalist was stolen in March last year and up to now it has never been recovered.
Police have on certain occasions been accused of hobnobbing with vehicle thieves. Many people who have lost cars find themselves incurring extra costs from police investigators who keep demanding money from them and in the end, the cars are never recovered.
Police reports have shown that Kampala alone, records over 700 cases of vehicle thefts every year and only 20 percent of them get recovered. ASP Owoyesigyire has rallied the public to continue with vigilance like the one the Kiteezi defense secretary exhibited by intercepting the suspect and also alerting security in time.