Police recover stolen items worth Shs50m from electronic shops

KAMPALA.

The Police in Kampala have recovered stolen electronic items worth Shs50m, including home and office gadgets from electronic shops in the central business district.

Kampala Metropolitan Police area spokesman, Luke Owoyesigyire, said so far, gadgets such as desktop computers, laptops and TV screen sets have been recovered being sold in different electronic shops. The Police operation which targets suspected sellers of stolen electronics started on Monday and so far 10 people are in custody.

“The suspects we have in custody were found selling items we suspect were stolen from government offices and private firms. These items such as computers and laptops had markings which the dealers had tried to alter,” Mr Owoyesigyire said.

Owesigyire said the suspects are being detained at Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) as more leads are being gathered so that the whole racket can be stopped and offenders prosecuted. Police said there are several criminal groups that normally break into people’s houses and offices and steal the items.

The gangs are said to target majorly residential areas where most of the people go to work during day time. The crooks take advantage of unattended-to homes and use rudimentary weapons such as hammers and master keys to gain access.

“Offices are majorly targeted in night hours and weekends whereas residential areas are vandalised during day time. People in these residential areas are always at work during day time and have no people they leave at home,” Owoyesigyire said, adding that they leave no one at home since they live within fenced houses, but thugs study such homes and steal from them when owners are away.

Most of the residential areas that thieves target include Buziga, Makerere especially students' hostels, Nakinyuguzi, Konge, Bukasa and Kansanga. Police say unlike office gadgets that are usually marked, home items once stolen are not easy to recover because they are barely marked. The public is advised to always put marks that are not easily spotted by criminals so that they can be traced. People are also cautioned to keep purchase receipts for proof of ownership once such properties are recovered.

“We always find it had to hand over property recovered from suspected thieves because people who come to claim them do not have documents to ascertain ownership. A person comes insisting the item is his but he does not have a receipt or purchase agreement. We cannot hand over items whose ownership has not been proven beyond doubt,” Owoyesigyire says.

Police say several computers, laptops and TV screens are being kept at different police stations because owners failed to present proof. Some have not been claimed at all and the police urge those who have lost gadgets to crosscheck with CPS since some of the exhibits are in their stores.

Moses Kafeero, Kampala Metropolitan Police Area commander, said police would not cease its operation against criminals terrorising Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono residents.

“Criminals had become a problem in Kampala and people have been living in fear. The operations we have conducted day and night have seen several suspects arrested and charged. We base on intelligence and credible information before we launch such operations,” Kafeero said.

Apart from electronic gadgets, vehicles and motorcycles too have been recovered. Last month, police’s recomposed Flying Squad Unit (FSU) recovered several vehicles that had been stolen and hidden in garages and homes in Natete and Nansana.