KAMPALA – Police in Katwe have arrested a man believed to be the mastermind behind bodaboda iron bar hit men that have been terrorizing residents in Kampala and its surburbs.
According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police, the suspect identified as Hassan Bazira Kiyinji aka Dr. Kiyinji, after interrogation revealed the different crafty modes of operation used by his group to rob motorcycles.
Some of the methods used by the thugs, according to Kiyinji include use of saloon cars to hit motorcycle riders as they return home from a long day’s work and also use of young middle aged female passengers who hire unsuspecting bodaboda operators and lead them to the robbers’ destination which is always around dark isolated places and bushes where victims are ambushed and hit with iron bars before taking off with their money, other valuables and motorcycles.
According to Luke Oweyesigire, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, the suspect, Mr Kiyinji was arrested following an operation against the new wave of robbery and killings involving iron bar hit men around Kampala.
Police further states that in May 2015 in Kajjansi, a Kampala surburb, Kiyinji while dressed in a tunic hired a motorcycle rider to a certain destination and along the way offered him biscuits and a drink that were sedated with chloroform which made the rider lose consciousness and was later robbed.
In Gomba, another case was reported where the same method was used to rob and clobber a motorcycle rider.
Police say two more suspects identified as Vincent Mwanje and Charles Katerega were arrested in Katwe while assembling stolen motorcycle parts and were also found in possession of three motorcycles and upon questioning, revealed to have acquired them through Hassan Bazira Kiyinji.
The suspects according to Police further confessed to robbing about 37 motorcycles together with Kiyinji as the sole mastermind behind these outrageous acts. Three motorcycle number plates under registration numbers, UEE 744C, UDT 571T and UDS 836B were also recovered from the suspects.
The suspects are currently being detained at Katwe Police Station on charges of aggravated robbery and being in possession of suspected stolen goods under file numbers 85/06/05/2015 and 28/23/06/2018.
Katwe Police has successfully arrested over 27 suspects in regards to motorcycle robberies since September 2017 who all mention Kiyinji as their leader.
