By Davis Mugabi
A new gang in town has it on their schedule to monitor movements of ATM users.
A source in intelligence says the gang has spies planted at different ATM locations.
The spies use boda-bodas positioned in the same location.
As soon as their target gets out of the ATM, the spy jumps on the boda-boda and trail the target, waiting for a moment when this person is either stopping to enter a Supermarket, a restaurant or a similar setting.
Once the target enters a Supermarket, for instance, they alert their follow-cars, usually a Toyota Wish or a Toyota Spacio. These cars have other gang members armed with break-in equipment.
Upon their target parking, they then drive their cars and park them, almost touching their target’s car. They then open their car doors to shield part of whatever they are doing and in less than 5 minutes, they are driving way.
So far, Kampala Metropolitan Police has registered 20 cases of a similar nature.
Busted
The Police CCTV Command Centre has been analyzing these happenings.
Yesterday, a boda boda rider identified as Jimmy Mawazi (UFG 326Z) was arrested after he was identified in several CCTV zones, actively surveilling unsuspecting clients from banks, up to the stage where they park their vehicles, to either go shopping, or make stop overs, for lunch or drinks etc. The suspect would constantly alert his accomplices with vehicle intrusion devices in a motor vehicle who would immediately come into contact with the targeted vehicle, break-in and rob the cash and other valuables. The suspects were using two vehicles, a Toyota spacio and Toyota wish to rob their targets.
In the matter under inquiry, they trailed a female victim from KCB bank, at Lugogo Shopping Mall, till when she made a stop over at a supermarket in Sonde. As soon as she entered the supermarket, her motor vehicle was broken into and cash totaling 50 million robbed. More than 20 similar reports of car break-ins, have been reported within the KMP area, where the suspects’ car is parked next to the targeted car.
In addition, new technology has also made it easier for car break ins at drive ways and parking lots at night. The perpetrators use electronic devices, typically used by mechanics to reprogram the factory settings and also disconnect the alarms, from below the dashboard. This enables them to strip the vehicle, of its spare parts and electronic gadgets.
According to Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, the joint task teams remain active and aggressive in its efforts to combat car break -ins.
“As we pursue more suspects of the gang, Enanga told the media yesterday, “we encourage all managers of financial intuitions, supermarkets, other business premises, to adopt real time monitoring mechanisms, in their parking slots and CCTV monitoring rooms. In addition, posting signs indicating that the car is under surveillance and alerting car owners about theft problems and other risk factors is very crucial in countering such thefts,” Enanga said.
