Police in Nyarugenge District are holding a man who is said to be part of a ring that has been breaking into vehicles targeting money and electronics like computers, mobile phones and car radios.

Albert Hitimana was arrested on Tuesday in Kiyovu after breaking into a car where he allegedly stole Rwf3.8 million.

Hitimana is a notorious thief who has been arrested in similar criminal activities on several occasions, Police said.

Emmanuel Hitayezu, Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali, said the suspect was apprehended by the people who were nearby after spotting him breaking into a vehicle.

"The victim is a businessman, so when he parked the car, Hitimana broke into it but before he could get out, people who were nearby saw him and immediately intervened and locked him in the car until the owner and Police arrived and handled the situation,” Hitayezu said.

"The suspect had already picked bundles of money that was in the car, amounting to Rwf3.8 million, which was recovered from him,” he added.

Meanwhile, the victim has since claimed that he had Rwf8.8 million in the car, raising suspicion that the suspect could have passed other Rwf5 million over to an accomplice during the scuffle to restrain him as he attempted to flee.

However, Hitayezu said the claim could be just a trick the victim is using to use the situation to his advantage to get more than what he owned.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that Ntambara withdrew Rwf5 million from his bank account, of which Rwf1.2 was found on him, but investigations are still ongoing to ascertain the truth of the matter,” he explained.

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