FORT PORTAL – At least 69 people were rounded up and detained early this week as Police heightened operations in Fort Portal’s Tourism City in a move targeting to ensure safety of residents.
Fort Portal City – located 295Kms south of the Capital, Kampala has in the recent weeks, experienced a wave of murder cases – prompting Police to swing into action.
On Monday, November 21, 2022; Sarah Ahaiswe, 23, a banking agent was found dead in her house in Rwengoma Village in the city. On Friday, November 25; a body of an unidentified man was found dumped along the road leading to St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Church in the city’s Central Division.
On Saturday, November 26; the body of Paul Bahizi – the Kagadi District Environmental Health Officer was discovered in front of the city’s main Mosque just a few metres away from where the first body had been found, earlier on Friday.
As a result of these murders, Police carried out stinging operations – both foot and motorised patrols starting last on Saturday, nights.
Vincent Twesige, the Rwenzori West Police Spokesperson, revealed that since the operation began, 69 people found loitering in town beyond midnight, had been apprehended.
Norman Musinga, the Rwenzori West Police Commander, added that apart from the recent murders that shocked residents, the security situation in Fort Portal was calm. He also noted that their intelligence indicated that the recent wave of murders were uncoordinated.
Musinga cautioned that Fort Portal was; now a city, residents had to understand that such development comes with a raise in crime. He implored citizens to be more vigilant. The RPC also revealed that police have arrested a number of sex workers in the on-going operation on suspicion of conniving with thugs to rob their clients.
According to Musinga, security had realised that when some of these sex workers get to know that their clients have money, they tip off the thugs who come and rob them. He noted that investigations into the murders were still on-going – promising that police would not scale down on the night operations.
Additional report by URN
