Police use text messages to curb car theft

Kampala- Five years ago, when thieves stole a car they would drive it to a garage, dismantle it then alter the chassis and engine number. They would join parts of different vehicles of the same type and sell it to unsuspecting buyer.

Other criminals preferred speeding off with the vehicles to their preferred destinations. However, with high vigilance of security officers today, such tricks have become stale and risky.

Police officers raid garages that they suspect to have stolen vehicles and they find them. Even after selling the vehicles to unsuspecting buyers, chances are high that the new buyers will encounter the police and the racket is busted.

But some car thieves have devised new tricks. When a vehicle is stolen, they make sure that they drive fast to the neighbouring country, where they will sell it, hoping that nobody will find it. Mr Mark Robert Akabway was such a victim of the trickery.

At about 7am, he parked his car on Nakasero Road near the South African High Commission in Kampala and went to his workplace. He returned at 12:20pm only to find it missing.

Puzzled, he rushed to the security guards at the South African High Commission to find out whether they had seen anyone driving away his car.
The guards told him that they had seen a man gently opening the car door and driving off at about 10am.

Reports robbery
Akabway knew that he was in trouble. He didn’t run to radio stations to announce that his car had been stolen neither did he move around looking for it.

Instead, his next stop was at the Central Police Station (CPS) Kampala where he reported a case of disappearance of a motor vehicle.

Mr Emilian Kayima, the Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, says when the case was reported, they immediately sent a message to all police units in the country to track a car with the same identities.
“Akabway had all the details of the car. He knew the engine and chassis numbers that are very important to identify ownership of a vehicle. Not many motorists memorise or keep those details,” Mr Kayima says.

As soon as the police units received the text messages, they moved to the highways to search for the vehicle.

When such text messages are sent, police officers at check points know that they have to be on the lookout.

Mr Kayima said at 1pm, officers at Pakwach Bridge in Nebbi District moved down to the checkpoint.

After three hours, a vehicle that fit the description of the missing car approached the checkpoint and it was stopped. The vehicle had four occupants. They were all told to move out of the car for a normal search.

Moses Kalema, 26, identified himself as the driver. The other three were Mpala Kyante, Moses Musoga and Patrick Ntambi.

“Our officers at the checkpoint immediately withdrew mobile phones from the four men and incapacitated their communication,” he said.
During interrogation, Kalema told detectives that he hired the vehicle from a city mechanic and he was driving to Arua Town to meet his business associates.

“Our officers asked him for the identity of the mechanic and the garage where he operates. He claimed he couldn’t recall the name. He said he had met the mechanic on the roadside in Kampala,” Mr Kayima says.

Officers then asked Kalema about his relationship with the occupants. They were surprised when he said he didn’t know them personally.

He said he found the trio on the roadside at Kawempe Division in Kampala and they asked him for a lift to Arua at Shs30,000 each. The three occupants maintained the same storyline when they were interrogated.

“In the middle of the interview, the mobile phones of the occupants kept on ringing. Our officers were smart. They picked the calls and the callers on the other end were complaining that the car occupants had delayed to cross the border,” Mr Kalema says.

Police play along
To keep them unsuspicious, the police officers kept informing the callers that they were speeding to the border.

It was clear to the officers that they were dealing with people who had common intention. The four were arrested over car theft.

Police in Kampala confirmed that car they had recovered was indeed one that has been stolen at Nakasero Road.

The suspects were driven back to the CPS, Kampala where the case was reported. At CPS, the owner identified his car but he didn’t know the four suspects. Detectives told Kalema to take them to the garage where he hired the vehicle.

He was hesitant. All suspects maintained their statement despite intense interrogations.

Police officers couldn’t get information on how the suspects were able to get a key they used to open the car. Kayima says the motive of the four was to sell the car in the DR Congo.

“Had Akabway reported [the matter] an hour later, his vehicle would have already crossed to DR Congo. When the car enters DR Congo, it is very difficult to recover it. Even when it is recovered, it is a tall order to bring it back to Uganda,” he says.
A large part of eastern DR Congo is ungovernable. Vehicles are driven without number plates, and International Police system used to track stolen vehicles are non-existent.

Last week, the four suspects were taken to court on charges of car theft. Mr Kayima says in the advent of the new trick, police have also changed its strategy.

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