By Robert Segawa
Police in Mubende District have intercepted a saloon car transporting two suspected stolen cows during an operation targeting the rising cases of livestock theft.
The operation, conducted in the early hours of Monday morning, led to the arrest of one suspect. According to Wamala Region Police spokesperson Lameck Kigozi, officers on patrol mounted a snap checkpoint at Kisiita Village along the Butawata–Kuminamukaga Road.
A white Toyota Noah, registration number UA 379AR, was stopped at the checkpoint. However, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. Upon inspection, officers discovered a black-and-white bull tied up and concealed under a tarpaulin inside the vehicle.
Kigozi added that with the help of vigilant community members, one suspect, Ayesiga Christopher, a resident of Mandela Ward in Hoima City, was apprehended while attempting to escape.
During interrogation, the suspect revealed that another vehicle had been involved in the theft. It was allegedly driven by a man identified only as Nduna, while the driver of the intercepted Toyota Noah remains unknown.
The suspect further disclosed that the second vehicle had already passed through the area. Police attempted to pursue it but instead found a tied black cow abandoned along the road in Kabateza Village. The animal was recovered.
Statements from officers on duty, witnesses, and the suspect have been recorded, and the recovered vehicles and livestock have been documented as exhibits.
Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects and recover the second vehicle.
Police in Mubende District and the wider Wamala Region have reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating cattle theft, a crime that has long deprived livestock farmers of the full benefits of their work.
