Policemen rob foreign investors of $378,000
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Senior officers from the Kampala Metropolitan South regional police command, Uganda, have been arrested for extorting more than 1.4 billion Ugandan shillings ($378,000) from two South Korean nationals.
More than five officers, including the Regional Police Commander Siraj Bakaleke, have been implicated in a scheme that led to gunpoint extortion of the two foreigners who were in the country to purchase gold.
According to a source that preferred anonymity, intelligence personnel at the Katwe-based Kampala South Regional Police Command received information that two South Koreans were looking for gold amounting to about $1.5m.
The South Koreans, identified as Park Seunghoon and Jang Shingu Un, were to meet some gold dealers at Acacia Mall where their lawyer, only identified as Wanyoto, had set up the meeting.
In a statement recorded at the Flying Squad headquarters, one of the South Koreans revealed that when they reached Acacia Mall, instead of meeting the said dealers, they were surrounded by security operatives, put at gunpoint and asked to hand over the money they had.
A sum of 1.4 billion Ugandan shillings was handed over to the police officers before the two South Koreans were arrested and detained at Katwe Police Station.
After detention for two days, police officers bought two air tickets for Emirates Airlines and planned to repatriate the two foreigners to South Korea using some of the extorted money.
On the day the two were supposed to fly back to South Korea, however, the plane left them behind as they were being transported from Katwe Police Station to Entebbe Airport.
It was a moment of confusion, as the Police officers now quickly bought other tickets with Rwanda Air but before the two foreigners could board the plane, Flying Squad operatives surrounded the place, arresting three police officers who had escorted the suspects.
The police officers, now detained at Nalufenya police facility, include, Isaac Munezero, the officer in charge of crime intelligence in Katwe police station; George Kayongo, Kenneth Zirintuusa and Patrick Ochen.
Vincent Ssekate, the police Professional Standards Unit spokesperson, confirmed the arrests.
“Yes they are in our custody and others have recorded their statements,” he said.
Bakaleke, who is alleged to have been a key player in the extortion, made a statement on Tuesday evening at the Professional Standards Unit in Naguru.
Other senior officers at the region have also made statements at Kampala metropolitan police headquarters.
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