Six thugs have been arrested by locals in Kigangazi Town Council after they were caught red-handed with stolen coffee sacks in a store in Bukomansimbi district.

These arrests happened on October 30, 2024, in Kigangazi Town Council after they were caught stealing coffee sacks from a local and known coffee grower known as Sseguya.

According to Sseguya, these thugs came at around 5:00 am to his house, broke into it, and stole sacks of coffee while he was outside in a hideout.

Sseguya added that when he saw them, he called some of the locals via his mobile phone, and they decided to follow up on the thieves without their knowledge and arrested two of them from a rental house they were sharing.

’’Once we interrogated the two thieves, they started to report the others that they steal with, and we arrested six in total,’’ Sseguya reported.

In an interview with journalists on October 30, 2024, Yasin Kauma, the Kigangazi Town Council Chairperson, confirmed this incident and revealed that the locals took these thugs to Bukomansimbi police station, and that is where they are being held.

Kauma added that the arrested revealed they had a store at Kijanjubwa village where they keep their loot. They took the locals there, and a lot of stolen property was found inside the store.

’’The fact that these thugs have a store where they keep their loot proves that they are not ordinary petty thieves, and they are so dangerous,’’ Kauma noted.

Kauma also thanked the locals for not taking the law into their hands by committing mob justice, despite their anger towards these criminals.

Reports indicate an increase in theft cases in Bukomansimbi, with residents expressing concerns about safety and security.

Local communities are feeling the pressure from rising crime rates, prompting some to take justice into their own hands. For instance, on September 19, 2024, in Lukoola village in Kabulasoke Sub County in Gomba district, one thief was killed and several others managed to escape but were severely injured after they were caught stealing sacks of coffee in Gomba district.