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Suspected burglar arrested after showing up for LDU recruitment
Jaspher Ekung after he was arrested at the LDU recruitment centre on July 25, 2019 on charges of housebreaking. PHOTO BY TOBBIAS JOLLY OWINY
Local Defence Unit (LDU) recruitment exercise at Dokolo District headquarters was Thursday interrupted for nearly 45 minutes after police detectives stormed the area to arrest a suspect who has been on the run.
Daily Monitor established that police officers from Alebtong central police have been hunting for Jaspher Ekung, a resident of Namasale trading centre, Namasale Town Board in Amolatar District for one week on allegations of burglary.
The case of theft had been registered at Alebtong central police station, under case SD Ref/07/23/07/2019 against him.
Police say Ekung has eluded arrest on many occasion and effort to get him had proved fruitless until Thursday when he showed up at the LDU recruitment centre.
The officers stormed the recruitment venue upon receiving information from security operatives who spotted Ekung lining up among the recruits.
Attempts to arrest him forced the exercise to be halted for minutes as police officers screened through a crowd of youth who turned up for recruitment.
After Ekung was picked from the crowd, another suspect fled without trace.
“Ekung was arrested immediately by police and taken to Dokolo Police station as investigations into the case continue. This should serve as a warning to suspects that defence is no safe haven for criminals,” the UPDF 5TH Division spokesman Lt Hassan Kato said.
According to Lt Kato, both Dokolo and Alebtong districts had a combined recruitment exercise in Dokolo in which a total of 150 people were selected from the two districts.
Mr Jimton Aguta, the Dokolo DPC said Ekung’s co-accused is on the run.
“It is true we have one already in our custody (Ekung) but the other one fled and we are hunting for him,” Mr Aguta said.
According to Mr Aguta, the suspect will be returned to Alebtong District where he is wanted for the offences he committed.
