KASESE POLICE IMPOUNDS THIEVES CATCHING BASKET

Police in Kasese has regained its control over investigation of theft cases after impounding a traditional basket that had diverted the minds of the people.

The Community Liaison Officer Kasese Joseph Musana led an operation on Friday to impound the basket that has been paralyzing business in Kasese town for reportedly capturing thieves.

Musana said that the basket that is claimed to be set by a witchdoctor was impounded along the Kasese-Fort Portal road on Friday evening following a public outcry.

He said that by the time police intercepted the operators of the basket, the situation on the road was about to turn tragic as lives of over one thousand people were at risk of road accidents.

Police also arrested Robert Kabahinda a man believed to have been behind the reported magic of the basket that has been used in Acholi Quarters, Kizungu, and Kasese town center.

According to the police, the basket was on Friday deployed to nub a thief who had reportedly stolen four point five million shillings from Kikade market in Kasese town.

Musana said that the basket was rendering the police useless as people had started deploying it instead of reporting theft cases to police that have a constitutional right to investigate any reported crime.

He said that police will charge Kabahinda with practicing witchcraft centrally to section 2(3) of the Witchcraft Act of 1957.

The CLO said castigated claims from the public that the basket is far better than a police dog. He said that whatever property is recovered by a police dog is recorded as an exhibit that can be used in court to pin suspects.

However, some of the people who believed in the basket are not happy urging that police was protecting their name because they had lost value.

The basket goes out for four hundred thousand shillings to capture thieves. Those captured have been forced to refund whatever they might have stolen.