The three soldiers who were arrested in a foiled robbery on Fang Fang restaurant in Kampala last week have been linked to a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) general, According to government owned Newspaper New Vision.
The arrested soldiers are; Cpl. Majid Abbas, Lance Cpl. Ivan Asiimwe and Pte Joshua Chandini. The three were arrested together with their driver, Ivan Opio, 33. It is not clear whether the soldiers attempted to carry out the robbery on their own or they did it with the knowledge of their boss, who is also being investigated.
The soldiers were reportedly traveling in a blue vehicle, registration number UAN 193H. Two of the soldiers (Abbas and Asiimwe) together with the driver (Opio) were detained by the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) while Chandini was detained at the Central Police Station (CPS) in Kampala.
According to details obtained from the case file at CPS, Police received information about the robbery at Fang Fang and responded immediately.
Upon arrival, it was found that SFC (Special Forces Command), ISO and other Police units had already responded to the distress call for help from the restaurant staff,” revealed an operative privy to the case.
At the time of arrest, security operatives recovered two submachines guns loaded with 129 and 180 rounds of ammunition respectively.
The exhibits (guns and vehicles) were taken by ISO, as investigations go on. It also emerged that ISO took copies of the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera footage from Fang Fang for further analysis.
Impeccable security sources revealed that preliminary investigations found that the arrested soldiers were attached to a two-star general (name withheld), who has for many years headed a number of elite units.
The incident came just days after the robbery of an unspecified amount of money from Cheap Stores hardware at gunpoint in Nansana, Wakiso district. In this robbery, witnesses said about eight thugs with four guns sealed off the road before raiding the hardware.
The thugs shot several people, leaving three dead. After stealing the money, they shot in the air before they sped off on bodabodas.