Armed robbers steal Shs140 million from Chinese road contractors
A section of Kanoni-Sembabule-Villa Maria Road
BUKOMANSIMBI- Police in Bukomansimbi District have mounted a search for thugs who stole Shs140 million from workers of China Railway No.3 Engineering Group, a company contacted to construct Kanoni-Sembabule-Villa Maria Road.
Witnesses told Daily Monitor that on Friday evening they heard several rounds of bullets but didn't know who was being attacked.
“We thought it was police chasing thieves in Nabajuzi Swamp only to find out later that thieves were robbing road contractors ,” Mr Mubarak Ssebuwufu, a resident said.
Nabajuzi Swamp is a natural border between Bukomansmbi and Kalungu districts and it is a well-known hideout for robbers who usually attack motorists.
According to the Southern Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Lameck Kigozi, the robbers intercepted the workers and shot at their car, a Prado Reg. No. UAW 671T at a deserted spot.
“The two robbers were travelling on a motorcycle, and must have trailed them [Chinese] right from Stanbic Bank Branch in Masaka Town. They shot all the car tyres and ordered them to surrender all the money they had withdrawn from the bank,” Mr Kigozi said.
The money was meant for workers’ wages.
The occupants of the car that was targeted included Mr Qu mi,a financial manager of the company, Mr Tan Khan, a company doctor and the driver Yusuf Ndibubi, who is still under police custody as investigations go on.
The police believe that there could have been connivance between some employees of the construction firm and the robbers.
Besides the latest robbery incident, the project has suffered other setbacks where fuel for equipment is siphoned by unscrupulous employees.
The construction of the 110-kilometre road which links Gomba, Sembabule and Bukomansimbi districts was commissioned on September 17, 2014.
According to the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) statistics, by the end of June, 63.6 percent of the physical works had been completed. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2018.
