A day after former Buyende DPC Muhammad Kirumira was sent back to prison on charges of among others extortion, senior officers in the Kampala Metropolitan South regional command have been implicated for extorting more than 1.4 billion Shillings (USD 400,000) from two South Korean Nationals.
According Vincent Ssekate the police Professional Standards Unit spokesperson who confirmed the arrests, more than five officers including the Regional Police Commander Siraje Bakaleke have been implicated in a scheme that led to gunpoint extortion from the two foreigners who were in the country to purchase gold.
It all started when itelligence personnel at the Katwe based Kampala South region received information that two South Koreans were looking for gold amounting to USD 1.5Million. The foreigners identified as Park Seunghoon and Jang Shingu Un were to meet some gold dealers at Acacia Mall where their lawyer only identified as Wanyoto had set up the meeting.
One of the South Koreans revealed in his statement at Flying Squad headquarters, 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 handed over a sum of 1.4 billion Shillings to the police officers before the duo was arrested and detained at Katwe Police Station. After detention for two days, police officers bought two air tickets with Emirates Air and planned to repatriate the two foreigners to South Korea using some of the extorted money.
But, on the day the two were supposed to fly back to South Korea, the plane left them behind as they were being transported from Katwe Police Station to Entebbe Airport.
The police’s 40 days elapsed and there was a moment of confusion as the officers quickly bought other tickets with Rwanda Air but before the two foreigners could board the plane, Flying Squad operatives surrounded the place, arresting three police officers who had escorted the suspects.
Now detained at Nalufenya police Facility is; Isaac Munezero, the Officer in charge Crime Intelligence Katwe police station, George Kayongo, Kenneth Zirintuusa and Patrick Ochen.
Ssekatte confirmed to us that; "Yes they are in our custody and others have recorded statements.”
Alleged to have been a key player in the extortion, Bakaleke recorded a statement last evening at the Professional Standards Unit in Naguru. Other senior officers at the region have also recorded statements at Kampala metropolitan police headquarters.
Bakaleke was later released moments after recording his statement.
