Police have opened investigations into a violent robbery attack in Kyengera after a disturbing video showed a group of panga-wielding men assaulting a man in Wakiso District.
The footage, which has circulated widely on social media, has renewed public concern over organised robbery gangs operating in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said the attack happened on Monday at about 2:00am in Kigwanya Zone, Nabbingo Parish, Kyengera Town Council.
“Our attention has been drawn to a video circulating on social media depicting a group of men assaulting an individual using pangas. Police at Nsangi have taken up the matter, and investigations are actively underway,” Kawala said.
Victim Ambushed While Returning Home
Preliminary police findings indicate that the victim was returning home from work with his girlfriend.
The pair were heading to their residence in Kigwanya when a group of about seven men armed with pangas ambushed them.
“The assailants reportedly robbed the victim of his belongings before fleeing the scene,” Kawala said.
Police said investigations are ongoing as officers work to identify and arrest the attackers.
The attack comes amid growing concern over violent robberies in Kampala and surrounding districts.
Robbery Gangs Accused of Tracking Victims
The latest video follows another CCTV clip that resurfaced on Heroes’ Day.
That footage showed boda boda-riding assailants attacking two people on a motorcycle before fleeing with a bag believed to have contained cash.
Police have so far arrested two suspects in connection with that case.
Security agencies say some of the attacks are carefully planned rather than random.
An operative attached to the Police Flying Squad Unit said criminal gangs often deploy informers near banks and forex exchange bureaus.
The officer said the informers help identify people who have withdrawn large sums of money.
“They monitor movements, routines and cash-handling patterns. In some cases, victims are followed for two or three months, sometimes even longer, before the criminals strike,” he said.
Investigators are also looking into suspected insider involvement in some robberies.
In some cases under investigation, employees within financial institutions are suspected of alerting criminals after customers withdraw large amounts of cash.
Police Recover 16 Motorcycles in Kireka
Security agencies have intensified operations against suspected criminal hideouts in the Kampala Metropolitan Area.
In the latest crackdown, police arrested 40 suspects and recovered 16 motorcycles believed to have been stolen and hidden at a suspected illegal garage in Kireka, Wakiso District.
Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said the arrests followed intelligence-led operations by KMP East and Mukono territorial police.
The operations targeted criminal hideouts and crime-prone areas in Kireka, Bweyogerere, Bukerere and surrounding localities.
One raid focused on Kireka Zone C in Namugongo Division.
Police said they found a suspected illegal motorcycle reassembly facility and arrested 12 male suspects.
The recovered motorcycles are still undergoing ownership verification.
More Than 2,300 Suspects Arrested
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said security agencies arrested 2,334 suspects during operations conducted over the previous two weeks across the Kampala Metropolitan Area.
He made the remarks while addressing journalists at Police headquarters in Naguru.
Kituuma stressed that arrests do not automatically mean guilt.
He said all suspects undergo screening and investigation before decisions on prosecution are made.
According to police records, 505 suspects were cautioned and released after investigators found insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.
Another 164 suspects were released on police bond pending further investigations.
Police later arraigned 1,350 suspects before courts after establishing what Kituuma described as “cogent evidence” linking them to various offences.
Another 307 criminal cases remain pending before court.
Police say the operations will continue as security agencies seek to disrupt robbery networks, recover stolen property and reduce violent attacks in the Kampala Metropolitan Area.
