Nicholas A
Residents in Rukungiri district, particularly in the town councils of Kebisoni and Buyanja, have voiced concerns regarding a surge in
incidents of number plate theft, citing it as a significant threat to vehicle security.
According to them, criminals have become increasingly active in their area, targeting vehicles and stealing their number plates.
They are urging the authorities, especially the police, to take action, investigate these incidents, apprehend the perpetrators, and impose
appropriate penalties.
Robert Nsheka, a resident of Kebisoni town council, shared an incident where he discovered his car missing its number plate one morning.
Instead of the plate, he found a piece of paper with a phone number and instructions to call it.
Upon contacting the provided number, the thieves demanded a payment of 50,000 shillings to return the stolen number plate, which Nsheka
complied with to retrieve his property.
Musa Tibakirana, the Rukungiri district police commander, confirmed the prevalence of these incidents during an interview with our reporter, stating that such occurrences are particularly common in Buyanja and Kebisoni town councils. It’s worth noting that in November 2023, there was a notable increase
in the number plate theft cases in Rukungiri Municipality.
The local police recorded 19 such incidents during that time. On November 9th, 2023, authorities managed to recover four stolen number plates and arrested two male suspects: Denis Mpamize from Mitooma district and Issa Muyambi Mbumburi from Nyabitete Bugangari in Rukungiri district.
