How a Toyota Prado stolen at Busega was traced to Congo

When Samuel Lukanga, a 54-year-old traditional doctor in Busega, Kampala, was called by his driver, John Mutumba at about midnight, his heart skipped a bit. Instinct told him the call bore bad news.

Had he been involved in an accident? Had he been arrested for one reason or another? Why did he not simply drive home as he usually does, hoot at the gate, enter and park the car in the driveway?

When he answered the phone, he had a rather agitated voice on the line. The driver confirmed his worst fears, beyond what he had imagined in that split seconds when the phone rang and when he answered. His vehicle had been car-=jacked!

It all seemed so unreal!
For Mutumba, his journey from Kampala city at about 11pm to Busega – the home of his boss where the car was usually parked for the night – on January 28, 2014, was not any different from the usual journey he had undertaken almost every day for the last many years at different times of the day.

How he was robbed

He was enjoying the fast flow of traffic with a cool breeze sweeping through the half-open window. He looked forward to a much needed rest at home after a long day behind the wheel.

As he approached the Busega roundabout and slowed down, a man jumped onto the road frantically stopping him. He instinctively pressed the break to avoid hitting the man only to see other men, armed on both side of the road pointing guns at him. He stopped.

Mutumba was pulled out of the car and the gunmen (he is not sure how many they were) sped off. Thus within minutes, the green/grey Toyota Land Cruiser Prado registration number UAM 476G valued at Shs37 million disappeared into thin air.

That same night, Lukanga reported the robbery to police and a message was transmitted to the whole country to have all patrol police officers on alert for the vehicle.

To Mr Lukanga, this was mere procedure that had to be followed but he had no hope that it would bring back his vehicle. All he wanted was to protect himself in case the vehicle was used to commit a crime.
The file was transferred to the police’s Flying Squad (a unit that handles aggravated robbery and murder).

According to the Flying Squad commandant, Mr Herman Owomugisha, the squad continued handling the investigations undercover but received intelligence information about a week later that the vehicle had been taken to Aruu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through West Nile.

“The vehicle had been given to a Congolese car dealer who later took it to Bunia with a changed number plate. We collaborated with the Congolese police to recover the car,” Mr Owomugisha says.
The car was handed to Uganda police on March 14, 2014.

How police got to the vehicle

Immediately after the vehicle was stolen, the Flying Squad went to the police database and tried to establish any of the known car robbers who could have any ties with the victim or his family.

The detectives were basing on their experience in cracking other such cases where the robber tends to be close to its prey.
A one Lwere was then arrested and interrogated. During the two-day long interrogations, he broke down and confessed to the theft of another car but denied any links to the Prado in question.

Asan Kasingye, the director of Interpol Uganda, in January revealed that theft of cars in Kampala was masterminded by a gang operating around Arua Park in downtown Kampala and neighbouring garages.
Therefore, the car thieves and robbers tend to know each other personally and on operation basis.

So Lwere is said to have given police the name of the individual he suspected to have masterminded the robbery in Busega.
A source who was part of the operation told the Sunday Monitor that police at that point only had to track down the movement of the suspect (name withheld since he is yet to be arrested).

The movements then led police to his association in Congo who true to the intelligence had the vehicle.
Police tipped off their Congolese counterparts who used the engine and chassis number to verify the true identity of the vehicle which now had a Congolese number plate 3522AA25.

How the robbers beat police deployment
With police constantly on the lookout for stolen vehicles, carjackers still somehow manage to get away with their theft.

While some of the cars are transported whole across the border, some thieves disassemble the vehicles before transporting them in a bid to avoid being caught since police monitors highways whenever a case of car jacking is reported. Most of these cars end up being sold in DR Congo, South Sudan and Tanzania.

Mr Owomugisha says the robbers tend to transport the vehicles after about six to eight hours of stealing them despite a countrywide alert to police to look out for the car.

It appears the robbers usually have inside intelligence and are aware when police are on super alert. Then the cars will be kept for about two weeks in Kampala at one of the many garages, especially those with a lot of scrap metal.

The motor vehicle is arranged in between scrap to hide it away from the public and police.

Others find a way of changing the number plate and avoid any negotiations with traffic officers when stopped lest they find out that the number plate is not for the car. The used number plate could be for a car that has been cut into scrap or that which is undergoing repair in the garage.

At the border, the robbers use panya routes due to the porous nature of our borders to avoid paying taxes and being spotted.
They then connect with their contacts that are usually aware of the coming “good”.

The Flying Squad boss says the syndicate has infiltrated the Registrar of Motor Vehicles offices, where the thieves obtain blank logbooks that are used when smuggling stolen vehicles across the border.

Disabling tracking devise
The recent invention of motor vehicle tracking device has not helped to reduce the vice as the car thieves are said to hire trained “experts” who are paid handsomely to find and disable the tracking device before the car is disposed of.

If the “experts” find a tracking device on a vehicle, the dismantling charges are passed on to the buyer.
Police is yet to acquire GPS satellite technology and VHF technology which have over the last few years been used by motor vehicle recovery firms.

Most targeted vehicles
The police crime report of 2012 shows that the most stolen cars in the country are Toyota with 131 cars stolen followed by Nissan (15) and Isuzu (14).

Most of the vehicles targeted are car hire/self-drive vehicles, taxis and vehicles which are usually driven by paid drivers, not the owners.
Self-drive vehicles and taxis are mostly reported missing about three to four days after they have been stolen, according to police records. As a result, by the time when the theft or robbery is reported, the cars have already been smuggled into a neighbouring country or been disassembled.
The thugs also target these vehicles due to the nature of their operation – the first suspect will always be the person driving since they are rarely driven by their respective owners.

While police questions and interrogates their first suspect, the robbers buy time to smuggle the vehicle or even hide it.

The stolen vehicle market is determined by the type of vehicles that are on demand and currently, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Toyota Hilux Double Cabin and Toyota Corona Premio are the most demanded.

Operation Usalaama
Uganda is also a transit route for international stolen vehicles basing on a 2013 July investigations carried out by Interpol in conjunction with the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO).

The Usalama Operation reports indicate that one car thief was prosecuted in Mukono District in 2012 and convicted but court fined him only Shs100,000 before releasing him.

The other challenge is that DRC and South Sudan don’t have the Interpol automated car system to track stolen vehicles. Other countries in the region usually cooperate to track down stolen vehicles using such a system.

Vehicle robbery was reported to be on the increase last year.

8 ways to avoid car theft
A car can be stolen in less than 60 seconds and most of those stolen are never recovered. More than a million cars are stolen every year, which equates to about one car every 27 seconds. Taking a few extra security precautions can help you avoid being a victim. Your car is an expensive investment so it’s important to know how to avoid car theft and keep your car safe.

Choose a well-lit area
Whether you’re parking on the street or in a garage, opt for well-lit areas. Park under garage security lights or street lamps; thieves are less likely to target your vehicle if they can be seen easily and will draw attention to themselves.

Stay away from parking lot and garage exits
Thieves are more likely to try to steal cars close to the parking lot or garage exits, because they will have a faster getaway. Try to park in the middle of a row of cars in a heavily trafficked area of the lot or garage. Making sure your car blends in is a good strategy to avoid car theft.

Pay for the monitored lot
Monitored parking lots that are watched by security guards cost a few extra dollars, but thieves will pass them by in favor of less secure vehicles in unmonitored areas. Avoid auto theft by parking in a lot that has security guards and make sure one will be in attendance the whole time your car is parked there.

Lock all of your doors
Many car thefts happen at home because drivers feel safe parking in their own driveways and leave their car unlocked. Always lock all the doors of your vehicle, even outside your house.

Invest in an alarm system
Have an alarm system professionally installed in your car that will notify you immediately if your car has been tampered with. Loud alarms will quickly deter car theft, and some systems can be programmed to automatically summon police. Alarm system professionals can also recommend systems to deactivate your car’s ignition system, requiring a key or activator to start the vehicle.

Keep spare keys somewhere else
Never keep spare keys in the wheel well or under your car. These key holders are convenient, but they make it easy for your car to be stolen inconspicuously. Instead, choose a designated place to keep a spare set of keys and make it known only to family members that drive the car.
Don’t put all your valuables in the trunk. Most trunks are very easily accessible.

Never leave valuables like laptop computers, briefcases, purses, wallets or cell phones in plain sight. These add incentive for a thief to steal your car, so lock them in the trunk or take them with you. If your stereo has a removable face plate, take it with you.

Take your information with you
Instead of storing your title, insurance information and registration in your glove box, keep them on your person. A car thief checking out your car will be more likely to try to steal it if there are documents in the vehicle that can also let them steal your identity.