Police in Kabale district have arrested two of their officers for allegedly holding a Rwandan businessman at gunpoint before robbing him of all his money. The suspects are police constables Gracious Tusiime, 25, and Zechariah Ekiyankundire, 26.
According to Elly Maate, the police spokesperson for the Kigezi region, the incident happened on March 1 at the Gatuna-Katuna border.
It is alleged that the suspects intercepted Thomas Habanabakize, 38, a Rwandan national and resident of Rwambu village, Gicumbi district, Northern province in Rwanda when he legally crossed into Uganda through the Gatuna-Katuna border with 85,000 Rwandan Francs (about Shs260,000) on accusations of owning fake currencies.
The victim had crossed into Katuna to buy merchandise for his business in Rwanda. After his arrest, the constables placed their victim at gunpoint and ordered him to surrender all the money he had.
Elly Maate stated that their preliminary investigations indicate that after robbing their victim, the constables ordered him to cross back to Rwanda through the porous border or else they would teach him a lesson.
The victim returned to Rwanda but decided to report to the Rwandan security authorities who contacted the police in Kabale, leading to the arrest of the suspects.