At least 70 suspects are in police custody on theft charges for allegedly stealing from pilgrims who have thronged Namugongo, Wakiso District for the Uganda Martyrs’ Day commemoration.
Two of the suspects are female while one of the 68 male suspects was arrested on charges of illegal passion of government stores.
Despite the heavy deployment of several security personnel from police and the army, among others, criminal elements couldn’t stay away from the commemoration venue, according to police.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Mr Patrick Onyango, told this reporter that most of the cases are about phone snatching registered at both Catholic and Anglican shrines.
“The security situation is relatively normal and calm. Our security officers who have been deployed are alert to ensure that all crimes are detected on time,” Mr Onyango said.
Security has been heightened at both shrines with a number of checkpoints mounted to ensure that all those intending to access the premises are checked thoroughly.
Some pilgrims were, however, heard complaining about the long queues after waiting for hours to go through security checks.
“Security agencies are still working tirelessly to see that martyrs’ day celebrations go smoothly without any serious incidents. We have deployed our security assets both on ground and in the air to secure the pilgrims,” Mr Onyango said.
“We want to appreciate the pilgrims for cooperating with security personnel. They have abided with our directives and guidelines and this made our work easy.”
