How crime intelligence dismantled boda gang

The Directorate of Crime Intelligence has dismantled a gang that has been targeting motorcycle riders and their passengers in three Kampala Metropolitan Area divisions of Makindye, Makindye-Ssabagabo, and Rubaga. 

The gang comprised robbers, those who dismantle stolen boda bodas, the buyers and those that worked on getting documentation for the stolen items. 

According to a source from the Directorate of Crime Intelligence, the gang’s top leaders have been arrested, and they recovered 78 motorcycles and 10 tonnes of spare parts. 

Deputy spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the operations, but said the details would be shared after an analysis. 

“The teams are still correlating what they got from the field. We shall share the information when they are done with the analysis,” Mr Owoyesigyire said yesterday.

Residents and operators of boda bodas have been complaining about the  criminals. 

Several reports were made to the police indicating that the criminals used iron bars to hit their victims before making off with their property.

A police source said the Directorate of Crime Intelligence got a tip-off from a boda boda rider, who was keeping several motorcycle licence plates in his house. 

“On October 11, officers from the directorate and Flying Squad Unit raided the suspect and recovered two motorcycles and five licence plates. The suspect couldn’t account for documentation or ownership of the items,” the source said.

When the suspect was interrogated, he reportedly said the motorcycles had been stolen from Bunamwaya on Entebbe Road.

Intelligence officers crosschecked with the police in Bunamwaya and found that the suspect’s information was credible.  The suspect also said he worked with five people in the robbery. 
He revealed that they would also use a car to knock the riders and steal their motorcycles.

The suspect named spots in Mutundwe, Kirinyabigo, Nyanama, Lunguja-Mackay Road, Kansanga and Mengo townships. 

He also mentioned two people to whom they sell the stolen motorcycles. 
One buyer, a resident of Ndejje-Lubugumu, has a spare part shop near Kibuye Roundabout while another is a resident of Salaama in Makindye.

After analysing the information, the police operatives laid an ambush in Mutundwe where eight incidents of robbery of motorcycles had been reported in just two months.