Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of SC Villa captain David Owori, who was ambushed and assaulted by suspected thugs in Makindye, Kampala, earlier this week.
The suspects have been identified as Bashir Munyaneza, alias “Jemo”, a suspected dealer in stolen mobile phones, and his alleged associate, Samuel Magoba.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said investigations into Owori’s death had made significant progress after detectives tracked an iPhone 14 Pro Max reportedly stolen from the footballer during the attack.
“Following the murder of David Owori, a captain of Villa Football Club, we would like to update you on the progress of the investigation,” Rusoke said.
According to Rusoke, police established that Owori had been robbed of the phone, whose tracking later led investigators to the two suspects.
“Tracking of the stolen phone has led officers to two suspects: Bashir Munyaneza alias ‘Jemo’, a suspected dealer in stolen mobile phones, and his associate Samuel Magoba,” Rusoke said.
During the operation, police recovered four bags containing a large number of suspected stolen mobile phones and other electronic devices.
The exhibits included 80 iPhones, 40 Samsung phones, eight Redmi phones, two Tecno phones, two Infinix phones, two Vivo phones and three button phones.
Police also recovered four phone motherboards, three iPads and several SIM cards belonging to MTN, Safaricom, Airtel and Lyca.
Other items recovered included ladies’ bags containing identification documents, phone covers and hard drives.
Rusoke said investigations were still ongoing to establish the wider network allegedly involved in the theft and trafficking of mobile phones and to determine whether the recovered exhibits are linked to other reported cases.
Owori was reportedly ambushed by suspected thugs in Makindye on Tuesday night and severely assaulted. He was rushed to Case Hospital for treatment but later succumbed to injuries sustained during the attack.
Police said investigations would continue to establish the circumstances surrounding Owori’s death and determine the possible involvement of the arrested suspects.
