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Mob beats traffic officer after seizing girlfriend’s phone
A photo hand out from police showing Police Constable Harshim Mwenyi at Mulago national referral hospital after he was attacked by a mob
What you need to know:
PC Harshim Nwenyi, 28, is said to have been accused by his girlfriend of theft before he was attacked by a mob in Nakulabye, Kampala
Police in Kampala are investigating an attempted murder case in which a mob attacked one of their officers after he allegedly seized a mobile phone from a woman believed to be his girlfriend.
Police Constable Harshim Mwenyi, a traffic officer attached to Tororo Central Police Station was attacked on Thursday evening in Nakulabye, Makerere Road after the yet to be identified woman made an alarm claiming thieves had taken her phone.
He is at National Referral Hospital Mulago fighting for his life contrary to earlier police reports that he’s dead.
SPC Harshim Nwenyi, 28, is said to have been accused by his girlfriend of theft before he was attacked by a mob in Nakulabye, Kampala. PHOTOS/ COURTESY
Earlier, Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesman, Luke Owoyesigyire indicated in a statement that PC Mwenyi died on the way to hospital, corroborating police chief commissar, AIGP Asan Kasingye’s tweet that the officer had been lynched.
In a rare turn of events, however, ASP Owoyesigyire later told this reporter that they have since established that PC Mwenyi is still alive but in critical condition after he sustained serious body injuries.
Mr Owoyesigyire explained that the reports were due to miscommunication by an officer at the lower level.
It is alleged that PC Mwenyi left his Tororo station to visit his girlfriend.
“They had a misunderstanding over messages on her phone. He walked away with the phone. At Makerere-Nakulabye junction, she caught up with him and raised an alarm accusing him of theft before the mob attacked him,” Mr Owoyesigyire said adding that weapons used in the beating of the officer have been recovered and they will help in the investigations.
He said police had recovered the CCTV footages in the area to help identify PC Nwenyi’s attackers.
“Efforts to arrest them are ongoing, “he said.
