GICUMBI – One Local defense and a one dealer in illegal potent gin commonly known as kanyanga were seriously injured on Thursday morning when they got involved in a scuffle in Gasiza village, Byumba Sector.

The Kanyanga dealer, identified as Eric Bashitsi 40, a resident of Miyove Sector and a eriously injured.

According to a statement by the injured Local Defense personnel a team of eight kanyanga sellers  commonly referred to as ‘Abarembetsi’, were carrying about 38 litres of the potent gin.

The Local Defense Personnel, Jean Népo Habimana 35 was on his way home from a night shift when he met the kanyanga dealers and attempted to arrest them leading to a fight.

"They hit me hard on the head using metal bars, which prompted me to scream for help,” Habimana said.  "I was rescued by the nearby residents.”

Fabien Munyemana, the officer in charge of Community policing in Gasiza village said seven of the Kanyanga traffickers ran away just before residents and area Local Defense Personnel rushed to the scene of the incident.

Enraged residents in the company of scores of local defense personnel later caught up with one of the illicit brew traffickers identified as Eric Bashitsi. A source said that angry residents inflicted mob justice on Bashitsi before police intervened.

Byumba police said the matter is to be investigated further. "Mob justice and illegal Kanyanga brew trafficking are both punishable by the Rwandan Penal code,” said a source at the Police station.

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