Guard sedates fuel workers makes off with cash

Police are hunting for a private security guard attached Falcon Security firm after he allegedly sedated a fuel station supervisor and two pump attendants and made off with unknown amount of cash.

Robert Adema, a guard at Agopex Fuel Station at Kazo, Kawempe Division in Kampala, is said to have laced sedative in the food that the trio ate on Saturday night.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesman Patrick Onyango says the suspect abandoned his gun at the scene and flee.

“The trio was found in a critical condition and they have been admitted to hospital for treatment. We couldn’t record their statements to know how much was robbed from them. Our teams are also hunting for the suspect,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Onyango said yesterday.

Robberies of this nature had reduced in Kampala City since the fuel station managers were collecting money from their supervisors in intervals after a few hours. However, the suspension of public and private transport and the curfew has made it difficult for them to collect cash in the evening.

SP Onyango said they warned the fuel station, bank agents and supermarket managers early in time to ensure that they collect the money from their supervisors before the time of curfew to avoid such incidents.

“There are some businesses that are still keeping large sums of money in their stores. This is very risky. They should contact security firms that are among the essential services to collect the money and take it to the bank before the close of the day,” SP Onyango said.

Early this year, the Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth Ochola warned private security firms against recruiting guards that don’t meet minimum standards.

He revoked licenses of 40 of 202 private security firms for failing to minimum standards, and at the same time ordered for the vetting of the remaining ones.