By Devine Atwine
Mbarara.
Police in Rubindi and Bwizibwera, in Mbarara District, commanded by ASP. Andrew Angume, the O.C Rubindi police station, intercepted a motor vehicle carrying a suspected stolen cow in the back seats.
According to Asp Angume, while police patrol teams combed the Bwizibwera, Rubindi, and surrounding areas to enforce the presidential Directives on Covid 19 pandemic, they landed on a suspicious Toyota Colona, a vehicle registration number UAP 639 Y, which they waved down.
“While Enforcing the Directives of the president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in Kashari areas on Covid 19 pandemic, the occupants in the car were alarmed to stop for search and identification, they refused and this forced us, the police to shoot the car tires in order to stop the car by force. This came after suspecting that people inside the car are either criminals or non essential workers who are supposed to move”. Asp Angume explained.
According to the police, the car was intercepted along the Ibanda-Mbarara highway carrying three people suspected to be cattle thieves with a suspected stolen cow in the back seat of the car.
Police claim that the occupants had squeezed in a full cow from the back seat of the vehicle to the front and sleeping position.
He added “When the car stopped, two occupants, the Driver, and co-driver took off but the police managed to arrest the third occupant identified as Kamuhimbise Jolex 45 a resident of Kakoba, Mbarara City who was in the car boot.
Mwesigye Fred, the chairman Lc3, Kashare sub-county, Kashari, Mbarara District said that both the cow and the vehicle could have been stolen.
Fred called upon the residents, especially cattle farmers to report whoever is suspected to be among the cattle thieves if they want to curb the vice within Kashari and Mbarara District at large.
According to Angume, the Investigations are still ongoing to identify the owner of the cow and the owner of the Vehicle which is also suspected to be stolen.
Angume said that both the suspect, cow, and vehicle are currently at Rubindi police station.
Mbarara District is one of the southwestern cattle corridor Districts which are hit by the Foot and Mouth District.
Due to the outbreak of the disease within the District, the District authorities, both the political leaders and the technocrats decided to suspend and close all the loading animal sites and animal movements within and outside the district as one of the measures of curbing the spread of foot and mouth disease to the whole District.
The district also suspended the slaughtering at the butchers, milk coolers/ dairy plants mostly in the affected areas were ordered to be closed with immediate effect. And no sale slaughtering in Mbarara District and Mbarara city, people only depend on beans, G. Nuts and at times Chicken.
According to police, finding you transporting the animals from one place to another especially within the districts which are hit by the FMD is a serious case and you are automatically taken to courts of law for prosecution
