Police have arrested four of its police officers for allegedly attempting to fleece two foreigners of money amounting to Shs 1.4 billion. The four officers are currently being detained at Nalufenya police detention facility in Jinja, police told SoftPower News on Wednesday.
The officers that are currently detained at Nalufenya police detention facility in Jinja district are; Isaac Munezero, the OC CID for Katwe police station, George Kayongo, Kenneth Zirintuusa and Patrick Ochen.
The two foreigners from South Korea; Park Seunghoon and Jang Shingu Un had arrived in Uganda with the said money and seeking to buy gold. However, their chances of a successful transaction narrowed when they were suddenly surrounded by the accused police officers at Acacia Mall in Kisementi, Kampala where the two South Koreans expected to meet the sellers.
It is not clear who tipped the police off about the Acacia meeting. According to a statement by one of the South Koreans, the officers asked them to hand over the money on gun point and thereafter arrested them.
In a Statement recorded at the Flying Squad headquarters, one of the South Koreans revealed that when they reached Acacia Mall, instead of meeting the said dealers, they were surrounded by security operatives, put on gunpoint and asked to hand over the money they had.
They were later arrested and detained at Katwe Police station after which the same officers plotted to have Park and Jang deported to South Korea the next day against their will.
It is in the hurried process to sneak the foreigners out of Uganda that operatives attached to the Police Flying Squad swung in and arrested the police officers.
Police Professional Standards Unit (PSU) Spokesperson, Vincent Ssekate confirmed to SoftPower News on Wednesday that the four police officers are at Nalufenya and they are subject to an investigation for alleged extortion and misconduct.
“There are allegations that they were trying to deport two people to South Korea. They [police officers] were arrested from the airport,” Ssekate said.
“There is an aspect of extortion which we are now investigating but also, we shall also be looking at professional misconduct especially how they handled the suspects [South Koreans],” Ssekate told this website.
He said that it is alleged that the foreigners were detained at Katwe police stations yet they were not locked in the cells.
“We want to know where they spent the night. If they are found guilty, they will be charged criminally,” he said.
Numerous news sites have since been reporting that the Kampala Metropolitan South Regional Police Commander, ACP Silaje Bakaleke was also arrested. However, Police Spokesperson, SP Emilian Kayima dismissed the allegations as “fake news”
Reports say Bakaleke was summoned to record a statement at the Police Professional Standards Unit (PSU) in Naguru.