How Ugandan police rescued South African kidnapped by ‘friends’ in Kampala

Uganda Police’s Flying Squad have in a daredevil operation rescued a South African national who had been kidnapped in Uganda by his friends.

Amos Masoga Morubura, a 40-year-old Uber operator, was kidnapped by his friends in Makindye Division, Kampala District on July 31, 2024.

This website has learnt that  Morubura came to Uganda on May, 28 to visit his Ugandan friend, Peter Mulondo with whom they had earlier met in South Africa.

By coming to Uganda, Morubura sought to visit the family of his Ugandan friend and the friendship would later help Mulondo formalize his stay in South Africa.

In Uganda, the South African and Mulondo stayed in the house owned by the latter’s aunt who is currently living in Sweden.

In the house, the duo also stayed with one Elijah and a primary school pupil.

Investigations have indicated that at the home located in Badongo Zone in Makindye, the South African was catering for the upkeep in the house and because it was too much, he complained of extravagance of his friends.

Meanwhile, the prime suspect, Mulondo had accessed the South African’s savings banks account and was withdrawing money until he complained about it and it didn’t augur well with Ugandan who then hatched plan to kidnap his visiting friend.

This website has also learnt that the South African later transferred his money from the savings account to an investment account which made it difficult to withdraw or transfer it.

Meanwhile, having realized that their ‘visitor’ had played difficult to catch, Mulondo and Elijah hatched a plan to kidnap him.

They targeted the day he was travelling to Entebbe Airport to fly back home and grabbed him.

The duo tied him up with ropes and demanded 100,000 South African Rands, equivalent to shs20.4 million after confiscating his passports, phones and other documents.

They started torturing him and asked him to communicate to his relatives in South Africa to send him money or else he would die.

The hunt begins

Meanwhile, after being asked to pay the shs20.4 million ransom, the South African’s relatives back home went to social media where they sought help.

Following the release of the video on social media in which the relatives of the victim were crying out for help, Crime Intelligence Directorate under which Flying Squad falls picked it up.

Meanwhile, the Police Flying Squad got into contact with the victim’s brother who provided more details about the kidnap, prompting operative to go into action after a general inquiry case was opened at Kabalagala Police Station.

Swinging into action using sophisticated technology, the Police Flying Squad was able to located a house in Badongo Zone in Makindye .

Using local leaders, the Flying Squad raided the gated house but found the gate had been locked with multiple padlocks from both inside and outside.

Operatives had to jump from the fence to access the house where the South Arican Uber driver was found tied with ropes and abandoned.

Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the raid at the house but said the two suspected kidnappers are currently on the run.

He noted that efforts to hunt them down are on.

“The Kampala  Metropolitan Police commends the team of Flying Squad officers who responded and successfully rescued the victim,” said Owoyesigyire.