ACP Kituuma Rusoke, the police spokesperson, has revealed that Ibra Kisenyi, Mubaraka, Simple, and Toofa, who were involved in the robbery of an Indian national on July 15, had all recently been released from prison between March and July 2024.
At approximately 14:00 hours, the victim, (an Indian national) traveling on another motorcycle near the Victoria University junction, was surrounded and assaulted by the assailants. The robbers forcibly took the victim’s black bag, which contained 150,000 shillings, a laptop, and a mobile phone. The incident was recorded by CCTV cameras, and the footage subsequently went viral on social media.
In response to the incident, law enforcement promptly initiated an operation to apprehend the suspects and on July 16, at approximately 19:30 hours, police arrested Mubaraka Sulaiman, who confessed to his involvement in the robbery.
“Sulaiman provided details about the planning of this crime, identifying Ibra Kisenyi as the ringleader. Kisenyi was seen in the video footage wearing a white t-shirt and physically confronting the victim, accompanied by individuals known only by their aliases: Toofa, Ian, and Simple,” Rusoke noted.
Kisenyi has been linked to various criminal activities, including incidents at Acacia Avenue, City Oil, Bugolobi Junction, Mawanda Road, and the recent robbery at Esso Corner.
“Sulaiman further disclosed that after the robbery at Esso Corner, the same group proceeded to Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road, where they robbed a mobile money vendor of her bag containing an unspecified amount of cash,” Rusoke added.
Rusoke also highlighted that the local community attempted to intervene, leading to a pursuit that extended to Kazo Angola. During this chase, one of the suspects suffered an accident and was subsequently killed by an enraged mob. The identity of the deceased has not yet been established, as Sulaiman did not recognize him.
Despite the arrests of several suspects, police noted that Kisenyi remains at large and that the groups involved in these crimes utilize motorcycles and are known to operate in the Kitezi-Sayooni area near the garbage dumping site.
Police advised the public to refrain from carrying large amounts of cash. Fortunately, the victim had only a small sum on him, which mitigated the loss.
The police also condemned the apathy displayed by onlookers during violent attacks, highlighting the need for community vigilance and support in such situations.