Two men masquerading as officers attached to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) have been apprehended by the Police Flying Squad Unit (FSU).
They include Suleiman Kigozi, a resident of Nabbingo, Kakungubwe, in Kyengera town council and Derrick Nsubuga, a resident of Masajja B zone, in Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality.
The two were arrested after robbing more than 10 unsuspecting passengers along the Masaka-Kampala Highway.
Victims who filed complaints at Kyengera, Nsangi, Busega and Nateete police stations said Nsubuga and Kigozi would park their vehicle, a Toyota Hiace registration number UBJ 259W along the Masaka highway and load passengers heading to Mpigi, Kalungu or Masaka.
However, whenever passengers boarded the said Drone, they would drive off the main road up to a deadly spot where they were ordered to surrender whatever they had or risk being stabbed to death.
But following numerous reports, the Flying Squad working with police teams manning CCTV monitoring rooms at Nateete, Central Police Station, Nsangi and Masaka placed the Drone into the system for an alert once it was sighted on any of the roads covered by security cameras.
Subsequently, CCTV control officers sighted the Drone heading to Masaka and alerted their counterparts in the Flying Squad Unit who trailed it up to Masaka. They were cornered at Kyoga swamp in the Lwengo district.
Kigozi told the Police that he was a taxi driver but had resorted to robbery for quick money. In addition, Nsubuga and Kigozi said they would judge the passengers by their looks and their luggage before allowing them to board. They specifically targeted traders who were travelling to purchase merchandise.
Once a person or two suspected of having money or other valuables such as expensive mobile phones or laptops boarded the taxi, the two would start driving pretending to be searching for passengers ahead.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga has advised passengers to avoid boarding taxis off gazetted stages.
He has also urged passengers to know that all public service taxis have blue stripes. The one where Kigozi and Nsubuga used to rob passengers had no strips.
“As police, we are happy that the Flying Squad and territorial police in Masaka have arrested these people criminals victimizing unsuspecting passengers. We, however, ask people to avoid boarding taxis at non gazzetted stages,” Enanga said.
Cases of passengers robbed inside public vehicles often happen on roads such as Northern Bypass in Kampala, Luzira Road, Nakawuka Road, and Nansana–Kakiri Road.
However, in areas such as Lyantonde, Kamwenge, Ibanda, Mbarara, Kabalore and Bundibugyo, passengers have severally been killed and their bodies dumped on the main road.