The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police are hunting four imposters who posed as National Water Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) staff to execute a robbery in which $4,500 and other currencies amounting to sh85 million was stolen from a private residence in Kyambogo, eastern Kampala.
A video that was captured by CCTV cameras within the premises shows the thieves who were disguised as employees of NWSC entering the private residence at lower estate in Edinburg Avenue, Kyambogo Kampala and holding the occupants captive before taking off with the cash.
In the video, three men and a woman dressed in uniforms similar to those of NWSC are seen taking hostage a home cook, a Chinese national, and a house maid, who the thugs tie up and then execute the robbery.
According to @PoliceUg Thieves disguised as National water employees , they held a cook and house maid hostage , broke into a safe and made away with 85M from a Kyambogo Home occupied by Chinese @observerug pic.twitter.com/enMJ5ptJBT
— Nicholas Bamulanzeki (@bamulanzeki) April 5, 2021
After the thugs entered the home in pretense of coming to check the water meter , the video shows the first house occupant grabbed by the neck as he showed them around. The house maid who came minutes later is also held captive as they tie them up in the washroom and start to search the house.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the incident, saying that it happened on 31 March 2021 in a residence located in Kyambogo, eastern Kampala. Police is still trying to trace the thugs, although they covered their faces with helmets in most of the video.
It’s reported that the thugs got sh85M in the house but also broke the safe and made off with an extra $4,500. “We are hunting for these men and a woman with the help of the CCTV camera footage we recovered from the house, and the surrounding areas,” said Owoyesigyire.
NWSC Public Relations Officer Sam Apedel told Uganda Radio Network-URN that thugs are ever on the lookout for loopholes to use and steal from unsuspecting victims.
“If someone comes to your home as an employee from NWSC to read your water meter or to fix any reported case, ask them for their employment ID’s, look at your water bill, there is a name and number of your area relations manager and first call to be sure of such a person,” said Apedel.
Apedel urged the public to be security conscious during these periods when criminals keep on changing their tactics and targets.
He also advises members of the public to take time to know their branch managers and have their contacts to avoid such circumstances in case of any issue that requires someone from the company.
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National Water and Sewage cooperation is not giving the right advise. The right thing to do is to have all water metres installed outside the gate
The hard copies of the bills are not necessarily for one to check and. Pay his bill. The account number is enough to check and pay your water bills electronically using your mobile phone.Let all us move water metres from inside the gates because even genuine NWSC staff can be thieves.
I totally agree with you. But after putting the meter outside make sure it’s securely protected because even meters are stolen. Mine was stolen by NWSC workers themselves.