Chinese robbed of Shs 700m -Kampala
Chinese robbed of Shs 700m -Kampala
In Kampala, there has been yet another high-profile robbery involving a Chinese person. On Ssezibwa Road in Kololo, He Wei lost $190,000 (about Shs 718 million) to a motorcycle-riding gang.
The report by assistant inspector of police (AIP) Erasmus Matsiko states that three days prior, robbers on five motorcycles robbed Wei. On Thursday at around 1:00 pm, Wei allegedly hired a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) to pick up the money from his residence on Ssezibwa Road. But while he was traveling, he was stopped by criminals who grabbed his bag with the money and made off with it.
“He was robbed by thugs on motorcycles but they did not hurt him. To his surprise, even the boda-boda rider he had hired to take him to his home where he collected the money joined the gang of other riders. They drove off after grabbing his bag containing money,” Matsiko indicates in the report.
Wei recounted that the boda-boda riders suddenly surrounded him, initiating an unexpected attack. Despite his efforts to protect his bag, he was overpowered. He expressed disappointment as the boda-boda rider he hired also sided with the assailants and left him stranded. This incident occurred shortly after another robbery targeting Lee Shao, where Shs 200 million was stolen. Shao, a Chinese national, was attacked on Wilson road. Although Shao managed to fire at the fleeing assailants, he did not hit them.
Investigations are ongoing, with no arrests made yet. Patrick Onyango the Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson said he was yet to get any briefing about the incident. Police reports suggest a review of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage to trace the direction taken by Wei’s robbers. AIP Matsiko’s report implies suspicion that the boda-boda used by Wei might have been linked to the perpetrators.
The case of Wei’s robbery has been recorded at Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) under CRB 2199/2023. Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson, cautioned against carrying substantial sums of money without adequate security, especially for foreigners.
This incident reminds us of another tragedy that happened last September in Kampala: Ito Okira, a national of Japan, was killed in a robbery. Okira passed away from her wounds from the incident, and the attackers are being held under custody at Luzira Maximum Prison on new charges that now include murder in light of Okira’s untimely death.
