Three arrested over theft of electrical wires
What you need to know:
- During the search, he said, they were able to recover about two trucks of electrical wires that had been cut into pieces from one of the suspects’ home, adding that all the wires were vandalized from the transmission line.
Three people have been arrested in Lira City over alleged theft of electrical wires.
The suspects, who are being detained at Lira Central Police Station, include a managing director of a factory in Lira and his two employees.
They were arrested during a joint security operation led by the area Resident City Commissioner, Mr Lawrence Egole, and Lira City West Division police commander, Mr Wilson Tumwesige, on Sunday.
Mr Egole said they swung into action after getting intelligence about movement of electrical wires suspected to have been cut from electricity lines.
“So, we have been trying to follow this for some time but fortunately we later discovered where some of these wires were being kept. In the morning, we moved there and indeed we found it was the same target we were looking forward to apprehending,” the RCC told journalists on Sunday evening.
During the search, he said, they were able to recover about two trucks of electrical wires that had been cut into pieces from one of the suspects’ home, adding that all the wires were vandalized from the transmission line.
“As you are aware vandalism of this nature is rampant in the country and for some time the government has been fighting this, security has been fighting this but you find that there are those who are still doing the same thing,” Mr Egole said.
Mr Tumwesige confirmed the suspects are under their custody and would be arraigned before courts of law upon completion of investigations.
During his end of year interaction session with news editors at the Nakasero State Lodge in Kampala on December 23, 2022, President Museveni cautioned those involved in vandalising electricity lines and towers to stop.
According to Mr Museveni, vandalism of electricity lines and towers has since plunged the country into unnecessary load shedding due to less power.
