The joint security forces in Kiira, have arrested four people suspected to be behind the theft of motor vehicle number plates in Busoga region.
According to police spokesperson for Kiira Region, James Mubi, the criminal gang has been targeting mainly the Indian business communities of Jinja city, Jinja district, Iganga, Namutumba and Tororo district – Busoga sub region and Eastern corridor generally.
It is said that the the criminal gang, after stealing number plates, were asking for money to be sent via mobile money on 0771491993 and 0703932528.
“We have since established that the above telephone numbers belonged to a one Hussein Kato who died sometime back,” Mubi said.
Mubi noted that through police experts, they tracked down the culprits successfully and arrested the ring leaders of the criminal gang.
The arrested include; Simon Olowo and Alex Macho both residents of Tororo district, George Ogutti, a retired ICT secondary teacher as well as Stephen Mugabe who has been keeping the stolen number plates.
Ogutti, 62, is said to have been at the strategic level of planning for the group like drafting ten-year plan for stealing motor vehicle number plates.
“He has also been behind typing and printing the threatening letters or leaflets that they leave behind after stealing number plates from residential homes, parking places and factories,” Mubi revealed.
Mubi further said that following a thorough search, a laptop, monitor, printer, and documents were recovered from the premises of the retired teacher.
Also recovered are two number plates (UBE 518B and UBL 287G) from banana plantation along Gabula road in Jinja city. Mubi noted that the operation is still on to arrest more culprits and to recover more Stolen Number Plates
