Chinese national robbed sh700m

Police have revealed an incident in which a Chinese national was robbed of money to the tune of Sh700 million.

According to the Police, the Chinese national, who has since been identified as He Wei, lost $190,000 (sh700 million) after being attacked by a motorcycle-riding gang on Ssezibwa Road in Kololo.

The assistant inspector of police, Erasmus Matsiko, said that Wei reportedly hired a boda boda rider to collect the money from his home along Ssezibwe Road on Thursday, November 16, 2023.

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Matsiko said the Chinese national was intercepted along the way by assailants who were riding five motorcycles (boda bodas) who grabbed the bag where the money was and ran away.

“He was robbed by thugs on motorcycles, but they did not hurt him. To his surprise, even the boda-boda rider he had hired to take him to his home, where he collected the money, joined the gang of other riders. They drove off after grabbing his bag containing money,” Matsiko said.

According to Wei, the boda-boda riders ambushed him without warning and launched a surprise attack. He tried to shield his bag, but he was overwhelmed. He was disappointed that the boda-boda rider he had hired had joined the attackers and abandoned him. This incident happened not too long after Lee Shao was the target of another heist in which Sh200 million was taken. On Wilson Road, Shao, a Chinese national, was attacked. Shao fired at the escaping attackers, but he did not hit them.

Investigations are ongoing, with no arrests made yet. Patrick Onyango, the Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson, said he had yet to get any briefing about the incident.

Police reports suggest a review of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to trace the direction taken by Wei’s robbers. AIP Matsiko’s report implies suspicion that the boda-boda used by Wei might have been linked to the perpetrators.