In a dramatic turn of events on Monday evening, six suspected bank robbers were shot dead by police during an operation in Kamwokya, Kampala, aimed at preventing a robbery of a Stanbic Bank client. The suspects, a group of seven, were allegedly planning to rob a client who had just withdrawn a significant amount of money at Acacia Mall.
The operation, a joint effort by the Police Flying Squad and Crime Intelligence, was based on intelligence reports warning of the planned robbery. Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango confirmed that the operation was a response to specific intelligence and strategic deployments made around the bank and along key routes leading to the area.
According to Onyango, six of the suspects were killed on the spot, while the seventh sustained critical injuries and was apprehended. The bodies of the six deceased individuals were taken to the city mortuary, while efforts to apprehend the remaining suspect were ongoing. Additionally, police reported that all the motorcycles and other equipment allegedly used by the robbers were recovered during the operation.
Eyewitnesses from the scene described a fast-paced and tense pursuit involving police motorcycles and a drone van. John Waiswa, a boda-boda rider stationed at Acacia, recounted the details of the operation, stating that the suspects had fled on motorcycles and were shot at various locations during the chase. Waiswa witnessed three of the suspects being shot at Mawanda Road Junction, two at Kasasiro Road, and one near Acacia Mall. Another boda-boda rider, Mukasa Joachim, explained how the sixth suspect tried to blend into a crowd at the Total Energies station but was identified and shot twice.
The police emphasized that this group had been on the wanted list for some time and was believed to be involved in several robberies targeting bank clients, where individuals withdrawing large sums of money were ambushed on the road by groups riding speeding motorcycles.