Police in Agago district is investigating circumstances surrounding the death of a suspect who had been detained at Kalongo Police Station.
The deceased is identified as David Omony Ochang, 43, the chairman of Wang Amuka Village in Kalongo Town Council.
Ochang and two others; Terencio Oola, 60, and Martin Fred Ocan, 30 had been arrested in connection with the death of a businessman identified as Joseph Komakech, 56, who was killed by an armed robber from his shop in Kalongo Town Council on November 23, 2022.
Samuel Baker Okot, the brother of the deceased explained that Komakech’s family consulted a witch doctor to enable them to get the person who murdered their relative.
He explains that on Tuesday, the witch doctor went to the shop and dared them to drink a herb, saying they would not be affected if they had no hand in Komakech’s robbery and murder.
Okot added that Ochang, Ocan and Oola accepted to drink the herbs to prove their innocence. However, after drinking the herb, the family of the late Komakech reported to the police that they had netted the suspects in Komakech’s murder leading to the arrest of the three.
But Ochang developed stomach complications at died around 11 pm on the same day. Okot said they had agreed with the family members of the Komakech to let the matter be settled by clan chiefs in Agago but they did not turn up, so they have forwarded the matter to Acholi Cultural Institution.
Okot however noted that much as they have contacted the Acholi Cultural Institution, they want to know why their brother died in police custody without writing a statement or having any charges against him.
David Ongom Mudong, the Aswa River Region Police spokesperson, told Uganda Radio Network on Thursday that the trio was taken to police custody for their safety because a mob wanted to lynch them.
Mudong said the body of the deceased has been taken to Kalongo Hospital for a postmortem to ascertain the real cause of his death.
Mudong dismissed reports that the deceased died after taking a herbal concoction, saying the family of the deceased is trying to divert police from investigations.