Flying squad arrests two suspected masterminds of kidnaps, car robberies

Two suspected masterminds of several Kidnaps and vehicle robberies especially in Western Uganda have been arrested by the Police Flying Squad.

Charles Twine, the Spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Directorate-CID has identified the suspects as Denis Tukundane alias Kenneth and Kato Daniel, a businessman from Kamwenge district.  

The suspects were picked up from Ibanda and Kamwenge districts and are currently in custody at Ibanda Police station waiting to be transferred to Kampala for interrogations.  Twine says teams of officers from the Flying Squad were dispatched to Ibanda and Kamwenge districts following two cases of kidnaps that involved paying ransoms last year.  

On November, 23rd 2020, the suspects allegedly kidnapped 13-year-old Peter Mugabi, a son to Robert Mugabi in Kyarukobwa cell in Kagongo Division in Ibanda Municipality.  His family reported a case of kidnap at Ibanda police station vide CRB 781/2020.  The minor was reportedly kidnapped by Denis Tukundane alias Kenneth Bwenge who went to their home pretending to be searching for a house to rent. He forced the teenager’s parents to pay a ransom of Shs.5m for his release.    

Another child belonging to Mujuni Tinka in Kamwenge was also kidnapped on March 22, 2021. The kidnappers lured the child to board a motorcycle belonging to Tukundane purportedly to deliver him to his mother.  The family also paid a ransom of Shs.3.5m to get their child back.

According to Twine, during a hunt for the kidnappers, officers discovered that the suspect had used the same number to demand ransom from the parents of their victims. 

However, the phone number was registered in the name of a 70-year old woman in Kabwohe– Shema district. According to Twine, the officers arrested three employees of Airtel in Kabwohe. However, it was later established that Caroline Kyobutungi Caroline was behind the registration of the number that was being used by the kidnappers to ask for ransom.

Twine explains that police also established Kyobutungi used to be a girlfriend to Tumukunde. She later confessed and led them to the suspect leading to his arrest on March 28th, 2021. During interrogations, Tumukunde confessed to several other kidnaps and implicated businessman, Daniel Kato in Kamwenge.

URN