Police in Lubowa in Makindye-Ssabagabo municipality in Wakiso district are holding two for alleged theft of vehicle number plates.
The suspects are Brian Natamba and Saul Katushabe. Police picked up the two on Tuesday for the alleged theft of vehicle number plates.
Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, says that the suspects later led police to their hideout where officers recovered forty six motor-vehicle number plates. According to Owoyesigyire, police swung into action after receiving numerous complaints from Lubowa, Zzana, Bunamwaya, Katale, Bukwenda, Seguku and Nalumunye areas.
He explains that the suspects would steal number plates from people’s vehicles with the intentions of extorting money from their victims.
Owoyesigyire says that the suspects had just returned from the prison where they were remanded on a similar offence.
Hakim Mubiru, a resident of Seguku says that he has fallen victim twice to the vehicle number theft in the last two months. “I had parked the car at home and the second time it was on the roadside. And the criminals took off with my number plates. They left behind their phone numbers,” he said.
Adding that, “Whenever you call the thieves are rude. You must speak softly if you want to pay little money. I literally begged them to return my number plates and they asked me to pay Shillings 100,000 instead of 200,000.”
Mubiru says the thieves usually hide the number plates close to where the motor vehicle was parked. “The first time, they buried it behind the house but you can’t find it on your own. If you are arrogant or refuse to pay what they ask for, the thieves will never tell you where to find the number plate,” he said.
