JINJA – Police in Jinja are hunting for armed thugs who raided a rice factory in Jinja Town on Wednesday evening, killed a cashier before fleeing with an unspecified amount of money.
The District Police Commander, Mr Vincent Irama, said the incident took place at OBK Rice Millers on Mitibwa Road at around 7 pm.
“We got reports of a robbery involving two men – one putting on a uniform similar to that of police and armed with an SMG rifle – and another in civilian clothes who attempted to rob money from a rice factory but unfortunately, they shot two people. One died upon arrival at the hospital while the other sustained a gunshot wound to his right leg and is being attended to in hospital,” he said.
He identified the deceased cashier as Kaweesi Bin Sali and the injured as Chris Obongomoi.
“We have recovered the firearm from the scene, a ‘police uniform’ and some money. We are not sure whose money it is but being in his (the bedridden) possession, we assume it is his,’’ he said.
Factory workers who witnessed the incident said that the thugs entered the office of the factory, with one wearing a blue uniform similar to that of police uniform, with a hood on his face, while another was in civilian attire.
They said the thugs then held hostage one of the workers whom they directed to lead them to the factory.
“It wasn’t clear whether they were looking for the manager because after a few minutes, they returned with the same lady and grabbed her handbag; and as she tried to fight them, we raised an alarm and they turned their gun at us and we hid under the tables,” one of the staff, who preferred anonymity, said.
The staff added that the thug with the gun accidentally shot his colleague in the leg as they fled the scene. The armed on abandoned him there and took off.
He was later taken to hospital when police are currently guarding him.