By Our Reporter
ARUA
The local residents in Arua city have teamed up with police to arrest suspected criminal gangs terrorizing the city.
This follows public outcry over the increasing number of the gangsters robbing people of their property in the area.
Recently, people had resorted to killing the thugs and burning them on spot upon arrest, a method that saw more than five thieves being sent to their creator in a period of one week.
But on Monday April 15 and Tuesday April 16, 2024, the local communities changed tactics by joining police in arresting the thugs from home to home and handing them over to the men in uniform with a caution of not seeing them back in the community again.
As a result, police said a total of 20 hardcore criminal gangs were arrested and detained at Arua City Central Business Division awaiting to be produced in court.
Josephine Angucia, the North Western region police spokesperson identified the 20 suspects out of the 29 blacklisted as Rashid Kawawa, Ashad Shafiq alias Jerry, Ahmed Oguna, Gadaffi Rashid, Bakiti Abbasi, Kuno Tom, Rajab Rashul, Munguci Peter, Mambo Issa and Abdu Wahab.
Others are; Rashid Andama, Farid Hassan, Bashir Rajab, Kambale Fisto, Drabe Festo, Ocatre Saviour, Ratib Bashir, Mujaid Ratib, Richard Banduni, and Atandu Geoffrey.
“Despite the fact that several operations have been conducted in Arua city since the festive season 2023 in which many suspects were arrested and taken to court, some hardcore criminals and their ring leaders remained at large and continued to rob and steal people in the city,” Angucia said.
She added that: “besides that, most of the suspects taken to court have been charged with lighter offences in which they spent a maximum of three months in prison and came back to the communities to continue with the same criminal practices. Others who were bailed out joined their colleagues still at large, to continue stealing and robbing people in the city.”
Angucia said it is for this reason that the boda boda riders in Arua city under their leadership requested to work with police and local leaders to jointly hunt for these suspects since they know them.
“They accordingly listed and identified 29 of these suspected criminals that include five of the ring leaders which they led police to arrest. Unfortunately, others escaped but they managed to arrest 20 of them. Exhibits of pangas, knives, nailed sticks, marijuana, and suspected stolen motorcycles were recovered with them. Some victims have come out to identify the arrested suspects connected to earlier cases of robberies and thefts registered with police,” Angucia stated.
She said information at hand is that the joint operations have already forced some of the blacklisted hardcore ring leaders to escape to South Sudan.
Angucia observed that the suspects have been charged with the offences of aggravated robberies under Arua CBD SD references 18/09/04/2024, 51/28/03/2024, 06/11/04/2024 while other offences include being in possession of dangerous items like nailed sticks, pangas, sharp knives as well as being in possession of suspected stolen properties like motorcycles have been preferred on some of the suspects.
Relatedly, Angucia said police also responded to calls by the community members to rescue suspects from an angry mob.
One of the suspects identified as Bashir who was critically beaten by the mob was later rushed for treatment at Arua Regional Referral Hospital under police watch.
The PRO assured the public that these operations will continue until total safety is restored in Arua city.
