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Masaka teacher, bar attendant gunned down in mobile money shop raid
Ms Mariam Nakanwagi at Masaka regional referral hospital where she was admitted after she was shot when gunmen raided her husband's shop in Masaka. He husband, Andrew Katongole and another person were killed in the raid. PHOTO BY GERTRUDE MUTYABA
A school head teacher and a bar attendant were on Monday night killed and another person left with injuries after unknown gunmen raided a mobile money shop in Masaka District in central Uganda.
Andrew Katongole, a teacher at St Francis Bulayi primary school and Harriet Nassande were killed after the gunmen raided a mobile money shop at Bulayi trading centre, Mukwengwe Sub County.
The assailants reportedly raided Katongole’s mobile money shop at around 9.45pm and demanded for the money he had made but when he resisted, one of the gunmen fired at him.
Nassande was shot as the assailants reportedly tried to scare away the crowd that had gathered outside.
Katongole’s wife, Ms Mariam Reginah Nakanwagi, who is currently nursing bullet wounds at Masaka regional referral hospital said she was shot while trying to flee the scene.
“One robber entered the shop and the other remained on guard outside. He demanded for the money and upon resistance, he pulled the trigger and shot my husband. He shot at me on the left arm as I was trying to run away and thought they had also killed me,” she narrated.
Ms Nakanwagi said the thugs did not take any money from their shop because after firing multiple bullets, they thought police would arrest them.
The Southern Police Spokesperson, Mr Lameck Kigozi confirmed the incident saying police have registered an increase in cases of mobile money shop raid in the last two months.
“We have already commenced investigations and the culprits will be apprehended to face the law,” Mr Kigozi said.
Mr Kigozi said preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects could be deserters from Butyaba marine unit attached to the UPDF.
“We suspect that the thugs terrorising our people are professionals who deserted the army. Last year, we managed to arrest some of them and we are still tracing for others,” he added.
Earlier last month, gunmen invaded the home of one Gerald Lutaaya, a resident of Kirinda village in Mukungwe Sub County and shot him dead. No one has been arrested since then.
