Three residents of Lira City West Division are in police custody for vandalizing electric wires from the Karuma power transmission line. Two of the suspects are Hammed Hajjala,58, and Muhammed Okello 50. The third suspect is a teenager, whose identity has been withheld by the because he is a minor.
The suspects were picked up from Gwengabara cell in City West Division in a crackdown operation conducted by the Lira City joint Security led by the area Resident City Commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Egole, and Lira City West Division police commander, Mr. Wilson Tumwesige, on Sunday.
The trio was found in possession of over 30 boulders of melted electric wires, equipment for melting, and tons of wires loaded in two trucks.
Security discovered that the vandalized wires are transported to the home of Amina Afme, the third wife of Hajjala where they are melted into molders that weigh between 40 and 50 kilograms for easy transportation. Lawrence Egole, the Lira Resident City Commissioner explained that the operation was based on intelligence information that they have been investigating for a while now.
He said the vandalized wires are normally brought from other districts and assembled in Lira City.
Victor Angena, the Local Council chairperson of Gwengabara Cell was shocked by the discovery in his area, saying that Hajjala does not spend most of the time at that home because he has two other wives with whom, he stays within the City center.
Moses Omara, a resident of the same area believes that the wires must have been transported at night because no one saw him bring those wires home during the day. Omara wants the suspects to be severely punished because they are “directly cheating locals off their taxes.”
