The Crime Intelligence and Flying Squad have initiated a hunt for five armed thugs who allegedly robbed over Shs 30 million cash from a Chinese textile shop at Royal Plaza on Luwum street in Kampala city.
The incident occurred over the weekend when five masked assailants armed with machetes entered the shop, situated on the third floor, around 7:00 pm.
Upon entering the shop, the perpetrators reportedly closed it, restrained three Chinese nationals and one Ugandan employee, and demanded the money stored within the premises under threat of violence. A senior police detective involved in the ongoing investigation suspects the robbery was premeditated, possibly with assistance from the arcade’s security personnel.
“This looks to be an inside job that was done with the help of security guards manning this arcade. Some of the night security guards who were on night duty will be interrogated to establish how this kind of robbery occurred without their awareness of what was happening inside,” a senior officer said.
Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the robbery, disclosing that the stolen items included Shs 30 million, $100, and the passports of the Chinese business owners. He further revealed that the police had recovered bags and burglary tools.
Owoyesigyire cautioned the public against storing large sums of money in homes and businesses.
“We shall use these materials to see if we can get any DNA on those materials as the hunt continues. But people should stop keeping that huge sum of money in businesses and houses that may attract such incidents,” Owoyesigyire noted.
In a similar incident last November, a Chinese national was robbed of a bag containing Shs 200 million by assailants on a motorcycle along Martin Road in Kampala.