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TikTok likes land youth in jail
The two youth that were arrested for recording a video claiming to be behind cracking codes of stolen smartphones and laptops. Photo | Courtesy | Police
What you need to know:
- The two youth recorded a video bragging about how easy it was for them to crack open locks of stolen iPhones and Android phones before selling them to unsuspecting buyers.
The love for social media prominence on Tuesday landed two youth in trouble after they posted a video claiming to be behind cracking codes of stolen smartphones and laptops.
The two youth recorded a video bragging about how easy it was for them to crack open locks of stolen iPhones and Android phones before selling them to unsuspecting buyers.
The viral video on social media sparked outrage, especially among thousands of Ugandans, who have lost mobile phones snatched from them during the traffic jam.
This prompted the police to launch a manhunt for the suspects and by Tuesday afternoon both were blinking behind bars at Central Police Station, Kampala.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Mr Patrick Onyango said upon interrogation, the two youth admitted to having produced the video but alleged that they intended to attract viewership on their social media platforms.
"Police cannot take lightly what they stated in the video. We have seized smartphones and other electronics that we found in their possession for further forensic analysis. Investigations are ongoing," he said.
Snatching of mobile phones and other electronic gadgets is on the rise in the country and it’s one of the major causes of loss of money for individuals.
The youth captured in the viral video is also an IT student at a public tertiary institute that trains ICT ICT-related courses at Nakawa in Kampala City.
Mr Onyango said the suspect also claimed to be a student of ICT in the video, which has been found to be true.
"We now have to find out whether the criminality part he alleges in the video is also true. That is why we are holding him and his colleague as we investigate," he said.
There have been several incidents where people have published information on social media claiming to have committed crimes when it isn't true.
Last year, Rasto Kalenzi, a resident of Lugazi Township, alleged on Tiktok to have been behind the killing of school children in Kasese District.
It turned out that he wasn’t. He was prosecuted for promoting terrorism and convicted before he was given a light jail sentence. He also claimed to have done so to get likes on TikTok.
Video
In the viral video, the suspect said he is in charge of unlocking passwords and codes of stolen phones thereafter he deletes serial numbers before the electronics are sold to unsuspecting buyers.
"Did they steal your mobile phone? ...Did motorcycle riders snatch it? They bring them to me every morning," he said adding that his task is to change the operating systems of smartphones.
He said he has software that cracks open codes and also deletes serial numbers.
Police often track stolen phones by their original serial numbers and once they have been altered, it is quite difficult for them to trace them.
Most of the stolen phones aren't recovered.
According to police, thieves stole mobile phone handsets worth Shs506b from 7,311 victims last year, a 6.8 per cent increase from 2022.
Investigators estimated the worth of handsets recovered within the same period to be Shs1.5b.
“Most of these cases occurred as a result of snatching from [unsuspecting] members of the public,” the police crime report reads in part.
Often the criminals would open the phones and gain access to their victims' bank and mobile money passwords.
They then withdraw the money at the nearest banking agents.
