Police uncover robbers’ den

GASABO - Police, yesterday, discovered a residential house at Kinamba in Kacyiru, Gasabo District, filled with a wide range of stolen goods, especially, electronics. The equipment includes laptops, flat television screens, sound systems, DSTV and Star-Times decoders. Others include mobile phone handsets, home theatres, DVD players, digital cameras, car radios, modems, external hard disks, calculators and voice recorders. The equipment is said to have been stolen from various parts of Kigali. Two suspects were also arrested in connection with crime. One of those arrested, Jean Bosco Nzaramba, 30, the owner of the house, is said to have been buying the stolen electronic goods from a gang of robbers across the city. Another suspect, whose names were not revealed, is helping police in investigations. Some girls yesterday morning reported to police that a group of people had conned them by promising to offer them jobs and ended up vanishing with their laptops and mobile phones. One of the girls told journalists that the bandits stole her friend’s phone which they used to call her for the job. “I didn’t know that they had stolen my friend’s phone. I received a phone call from the person who claimed to be my friend and he gave me contacts of a person, who he said was the Director of a certain company. He told me to call him for a job, but he (Director) called me in the process and told me that the job they were offering required someone who has a laptop,” the victim said. Upon arrival, the victim said she was instructed to go and photocopy her transcripts but on return, the suspects had vanished with her laptop and phone. “They then used my phone to call my housemate, telling the same trick. We immediately notified police, who made the arrests in the process,” she added. The suspects were also found with a list of 17 names, all girls who were their next targets.Two girls, both friends, who had fallen victims, identified their laptops. Nzaramba, the suspect, told journalists that he bought some of the electronics from various people while other equipment was used as guarantee for loans he gave out. “People would sell the equipment to me and I did not know that they were stolen goods,” the suspect said. “We have been registering cases of theft and investigations have been ongoing to identify the criminals. We believe there are other stores and other people connected to this theft and investigations are still ongoing to unearth all those involved,” Police Spokesperson, Supt Theos Badege, said. He urged people to be vigilant and continue cooperating with the police.The recovered goods were taken to Remera Police Station where can reclaim them. Ends

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Police uncover robbers’ den